


Love Is Only Three Cubicles Away: How to Accidentally Fuck Your Coworker

by carnivorousBelvedere, notwest



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Anonymous Sex, Costume Parties & Masquerades, D/s dynamic, Edging, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, M/M, Masks, Mutual Pining, Public Sex, Sex Party, Spanking, one-sided identity reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2019-10-28 01:10:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17777717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carnivorousBelvedere/pseuds/carnivorousBelvedere, https://archiveofourown.org/users/notwest/pseuds/notwest
Summary: Dave is decked out to the mother fucking nines. He already owns a plush black velvet suit that he'd spent way too much money on, because who wouldn't have a bomb ass suit for the off chance that they were going to be invited to an anonymous sex party some day?He was able to buy a sleek red mask at a costume shop near his apartment, and when the girl at the door asks for his name he remembers it's a work event, panics and says, "Dick Johnson."As he walks in he wonders if any of his coworkers were actually desperate enough to accept this invitation. He wonders if Karkat could possibly be here.... Nah.It's only after he gets the tour of the place–including the three people that are going at it right there in the living room–that he realizes exactly what he signed up for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a roleplay.

“Hey, Karkat,” his coworker leans into the cubicle with a giant grin that could only spell trouble.

“Oh god, what do you need now. I already fixed that bug for you, the code should be running fine now,” Karkat groans and spins around in his desk chair.

“Nah man, this isn’t business, only pleasure,” they smile. “So you know that thing I host at my house every now and then?”

His neck immediately becomes way too hot.

“Listen dude,” Karkat drops his voice to a whisper. “I was drunk when I agreed to come to that.”

“You were tipsy, and I dunnoooo you seemed pretty excited about it,” they say. Karkat can now make out that they are holding something behind their back.

“Can you say that louder please?”

They only laugh a little bit. “I like you, dude. You’re an attractive guy, I’d think you’d have fun. Not coming onto you, I swear, you just seem like you could, ya know, unwind a little?”

“This isn’t a very convincing argument,” Karkat comments, flushing warmly. _Not attractive_ , he bites back from saying.

They are undeterred, finally holding out the envelope to him. “You don’t have to go, but if it helps at all, it’s a masquerade event. No one will know who you are, not even me. Will you at least consider it?”

Karkat agrees to at minimum put a single brain cell towards it and they slip out of the cubicle with a giant wink, leaving him alone again. He wonders if they invited anyone else, and ruminates pathetically on if they also might have invited Dave.

Dave, his coworker that he’s had a crush on since the first time he saw him.

His stomach, so stupidly, twists with jealousy at the idea of someone else having Dave in that way. It’s dumb. Dave will never be his.

And the kicker is, they’ve never even talked, just eye contact now and then, which Karkat is positive to be incidental. Because why would Dave of all people ever look in his direction? It’s been like this for months now, painfully so. At this point Karkat feels he would do anything to get his mind off him. He can’t even gather the courage for the smallest of water cooler talk, or discussing how well their code is running.

So he continues on with his day, eyes flashing now and then to the gold-lined envelope sitting on his desk as he struggles and fails to not think about the man a few cubicles over who he’ll never talk to.

With a sigh, he finally opens it and looks at the contents.

Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, only if for a night.

—

Dave is going to a sex party.

Granted, it's not exactly his usual scene, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He's sitting in his cubicle, already done clearing his bug report for the day, and listening to the intermittent grumbles of his personal desperate times--Karkat Vantas, the mega sexy fullstack dev that sits a mere three cubicles away from him.

Dave had never fully appreciated the phrase _eye candy_ until the very first moment he saw Karkat. The dude is just that hot. Dave so regularly fell into fantasies about him, it was like they were programmed into his daily schedule. His regular favorites were of himself on his knees in front of Karkat, Karkat taking him up against the copier, and Karkat crushing his lips to Dave's with a hand wrapped around his throat... There were definitely more than a couple of occasions when certain choice fantasies got so intense that he ended up needing to take a not so quick trip to the bathroom.

It was literally hard for Dave to pull his eyes away from Karkat sometimes. Thank god they didn't work in an open office, or he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to get any work done. But the kicker to the entire situation was this: Dave has worked as a graphics programmer at this company for six months, and he hasn't been able to say a word to Karkat. That is, a word past the initial 'Sup' Dave had greeted him with on his day one tour.

He scrolls Reddit in an attempt to distract himself, rubbing a little at his tattooed shoulder and wincing. It's still kind of itchy, it's been almost six weeks since he got the piece done. He'd actually drawn the art himself--it's a crow in mid flight with a collection of musical notes making up its body, and an assortment of clock gears that make up the background. It's definitely one of the rare things he's proud of, and he'd wasted no time showing it to everyone in the office as soon as it was done.

Except Karkat. If Dave was being honest, the thought of saying anything at all to Karkat makes his stomach flip violently. Which is a problem, because Dave can't stop thinking about him. To say he needs a release is an understatement so big it needs to buy itself an extra seat on the first class, direct flight to Lustful Pining city.

So yeah. Sex party.

He'd already agreed to it over Slack, but his coworker still drops by towards the end of the day, slipping him a sleek, golden envelope containing an invitation to one, _get fucked out of your mind hard enough to forget all about your sexy coworker who doesn't even know you exist_ party.

Three cheers to the weekend.

—

The invitation had asked him to wear cocktail attire, and a mask. The suit was easy, as he already owned a nice dark grey set, tailored personally by his friend that actually nicely accented his arms and shoulders. He bought a couple of masks online, cheap ones, since he didn’t want the process of going out and buying one himself.

It was a bit much, but that was apparently part of the fun.

The fun he was supposed to have with strangers later.

Fucking hell.

As he walks up to the entrance, golden invitation ready in his pocket, he checks to make sure the mask is plastered squarely to his face, concealing his defining features.

Well, more like just concealing the fact that he wasn’t all that much to look at in the first place.

At least he didn’t have any expectations. He didn’t even expect to _talk_ to anyone. Let alone… play with them, or have sex. That was so unlikely in the cards.

He still can barely believe he’s doing it, he’s actually there, even as his invitation is being viewed for authenticity. The person doing it reveals that she is assisting with the host for the evening, and introduces herself as Cassandra, which Karkat assumes not to be her real name. She then asks for his.

“Kar--” he starts to say, and then realizes using his own pretty unique name would be damn stupid. “Carcino.” Wow, that is the worst possible name he could have ever come up with for so many reasons.

But she only nods and says nothing, possibly not even making the connection. Karkat imagines he’ll hear quite a few interesting names here anyways.

He is then given a short tour of the premises. He had been wondering about the depth of his coworker’s depraved interests, and he only really starts to understand how far it goes when he crosses behind a heavy curtain into what seems to be a grand living room.

Well then, look at that. There’s a threesome going on right there in the center. He watches, entranced for a moment, at the display of intimacy unlike anything he’s ever seen in person before.

Holy crap this is crazy. _People actually do this_.

Even worse, _he’s actually there with them_.

Cassandra chuckles and drags his attention back to the tour. She seems so casual about it, as if this is business as usual. Maybe it is, just not for him.

She shows him where the bar is, indicates the different rooms available to ‘mess around in’, and then leaves him there for his own pursuits, but only after making a point to show the many many many containers of lube and condoms throughout the ridiculous home and impress into him the importance of safety at such events.

Well, shit. He needs a fucking drink.

—

Dave is decked out to the mother fucking nines. He already owns a plush black velvet suit that he'd spent way too much money on, because who wouldn't have a bomb ass suit for the off chance that they were going to be invited to an anonymous sex party some day?

He was able to buy a sleek red mask at a costume shop near his apartment, and when the girl at the door asks for his name he remembers it's a work event, panics and says, "Dick Johnson."

As he walks in he wonders if any of his coworkers were actually desperate enough to accept this invitation. He wonders if Karkat could possibly be here.

...Nah.

It's only after he gets the tour of the place–including the three people that are going at it right there in the living room–that he realizes exactly what he signed up for. Nerves bundle and squirm in his stomach, and he tries to push them down, walking over to the bar to grab a drink. Come on, Strider.

—

Karkat grabs himself an old fashioned. The bartender is a collared woman wearing no top, but he gets the idea that she’s doing it because she wants to not for any other reason. He turns from the bar and surveys the area and the well-dressed people floating by.

Only a feet away there’s a St. Andrews cross and a woman strung up on it, her domme flogging her while another person holds something to her nether regions. The noises are distracting, and she moans out uninhibited for the world to hear.

It’s a voyeur’s dream.

This place definitely has quite the rainbow of lecherous desires, and it reminds Karkat of his own that he tries and fails not to think of all the time.

The ones that oh so selfishly center on Dave, especially because he doesn’t know the first thing about where exactly Dave aligns in that scheme of things, nor does he understand where he himself does. But he knows knows one thing: he conflictingly wants to use Dave and protect him, to be able to call him _his_.

His mind will regularly, and selfishly, supply him with images of Dave on his knees, sucking him off with fervor as Karkat tangles his hands in his hair and forces him deeper. He thinks of Dave tied to his bed, erect just for him, and Karkat edging him within an inch of his life.

He thinks about shoving Dave up against a wall, hand wrapped tight around his throat.

Pulling Dave by the hair into a deep kiss.

He wants to wreck Dave and then hold him for hours.

Of all the times and places he gets to express these thoughts, these things he does not closely examine because he doesn’t want to know what it means about himself, this is the right place.

Just, probably the wrong person.

He sighs and takes a long sip of his drink, knowing in his heart of hearts that it’s only going to make it all worse.

The domme has stopped flogging the woman tied to the post and is running gloved fingers along the fresh marks left on her reddened ass.

Maybe he should go and check out some of the isolated rooms, get away from all these people for a moment. The woman’s screams are both distracting him from his thoughts and making them worse. But he stays stuck there, watching them play out fantasies that lurk in his subconscious.

—

Dave wanders around the mansion after picking up a margarita from the bar. There's so much sex going on around him in the open, it's almost a little overwhelming. And despite his best efforts, it's only making him think even more about Karkat.

Fuck. He's supposed to be feeling turned on and adventurous, but he's definitely leaning more toward feeling like a pathetic loser with a middle school crush. He escapes to some of the smaller rooms along the corridors of the house.

A couple doors are cracked open a bit and he can see people up to their dually pierced nipples in freaky sex shit. He stops for more than a few seconds to watch one woman on her back shouting curses and pulling on thick chains that are attached to a man's black collar and chest harness, while he fucks her to the rhythm of the chains.

He put a hand to his neck, face hot. Dave knows the patterns he's interested in, it's why he's here. Maybe if he gets these fantasies out of the way, the thoughts of Karkat will leave by proxy.

He wanders into an empty room, looking at the decent supply of sex toys and objects slotted into the walls along with the lube and condom dispensers, wondering what it would be like if Karkat was here. He imagines Karkat pushing him down to his knees, Karkat sitting on his face, Karkat _using him_.

Yeah. If only.

—

A woman sits down near the bar, and Karkat can see her eyes flash towards him. Strangely unnerved, he turns on his heel with his drink and heads toward the maze of other rooms. A few are inhabited with spectacles, some people just straight up fucking, others incorporating kinkier aspects. He gets to one that he thinks is empty, with what appears to be a display of toys set out on a dresser, and slips in to take a look for himself, but mostly for a break from all the sex that he obviously is not participating in.

The room is not as empty as he thought, there’s another _very_ well dressed man in there in a bit of a unique suit, it’s got a shine to it even under the very dim lights of the room. It looks like it might even be velvet.

“Ah, shit,” he says under his breath, only a little startled. His first instinct is to run, but maybe he’ll make a new, uh, acquaintance. “So, you too then, huh?”

—

Dave turns around from examining a pink ball gag to see a guy wearing a sleek grey suit and a black mask. The suit looks custom tailored, and fuck, he's definitely got an attractive body under there.

Oh god. Is _this_ how it happens?

He laughs at the question, and it comes out a pitch higher than usual. Fuck. Be cool, you're at a sex party.

'If by 'you too' you mean completely living my best life right now then yes. I'm one of those freaky sex maniacs, just here to get my rocks off yes sir." Dave sweeps his arm into an inappropriately enthusiastic thumbs up in front of his chest. Oh, what the fuck.

—

Karkat snorts at the awkward action, but it surprisingly puts him at ease.

Just looking at this man, his fingers itch to touch his suit.

“Yeah well, you really seem busy with that. So occupied with getting your ass spanked…” Wow, projecting much already? “--Or doing the spanking, I don’t know what the fuck you’re into,” he trails off awkwardly. He immediately swigs the rest of his drink back, holy crap does he know how to talk to people at all?

—

The mention of spanking sends a little jolt through Dave's chest. He sticks out an arm, leaning against the wall in a way that he hopes looks less awkward than it feels.

"Um, I'm actually pretty un-busy right now. But spanking, yeah I could be into that. As long as you promise I can rest my polished ass on a velvet plush pillow when we're done, I'll be Dick Johnson, reporting for duty. Just tell me where to sign up."

Dave copies the guy and downs the rest of his margarita, slamming the empty glass down on the shelf and smacking his lips.

—

_Wait, what_? Did this guy just say, in a tumble of words, that he _wants_ Karkat to do that? He’s hit with a wave of excitement that makes him lightheaded, too surprised to even make a comment about his ridiculous name.

He hasn’t even shaken his hand yet.

Is this how it’s supposed to go? No introductions, just straight to the hands-on-ass action? He’s so out of his depth.

But… no one knows who he is here. He can kind of do whatever he wants? He latches on to the freedom he finds in that thought.

But even so, this undeniably handsome stranger seems a bit too good to be true. Anyone that wants anything like this do to with him is too good to be true

Maybe he’s just eager and Karkat got lucky.

But maybe… maybe for one night, Karkat can do exactly what he wants to do and be exactly who he wants to be.

And he can let it all out into this guy, _Dick Johnson_ apparently, who maybe wants him to do so.

“While we’re at it, wanna add anything else to that sign up? I’m uh, Carcino,” he introduces himself quickly. “And yeah I could see myself throwing that velvet ass down on that bed and having my way with it, _Dick_.”

_Holy shit he just said that._

He has no clue what he’s doing.

Or maybe he does, deep down, in an overflowing wellspring begging to be drawn upon. The place where those very words just came from.

—

Holy fuck.

Dave was sort of kidding when he said the thing about his ass… Or was he? He thinks he was kidding, at least, but after hearing it spoken aloud back to him by this hot stranger… It sounds really fucking good actually.

It sounds more than good. Hearing this random guy talk about taking him, throwing him down on the bed and just going for it, even hearing him practically growl the word _Dick_ , sends a surprisingly intense, mixed jolt of nerves and arousal to the pit of Dave's stomach.

Dave can't even focus on how dumb the name Carcino is, not like he had any right to judge. He's too busy looking at the guy's arms, wrapped tight enough in that suit that he can see they're unfairly muscular, and only losing his mind a tiny bit at this idea that was becoming more and more real by the second.

He's now shared more of his sexual preferences with this stranger more than he has with anyone he's ever been with. Not to say that the list is very long. But the point stands.

Dave grabs the ball gag again and starts fidgeting with it. "Yeah, uh," he starts nervously, "I'd be down to do more, honestly I'm interested in trying out maybe a bunch of different things, I don't know, like, getting the lay of the land? I wanna see what's out there like I'm a lifelong vegetarian who just ordered the sampler tray at Legal Seafood, you know?"

_Shit._ He cringes, his answer was way too real, too inexperienced, this guy was probably going to turn on his heel right now to find someone else, maybe the guy with the collar and harness? Fuck. He bites his lip a little and waits.

—

Karkat watches the man fidget with a ball gag nervously, one thought in his head: _he is the worst person for this job_.

It seems that this guy is as inexperienced as he is. He’d be doing him a disservice if he acted like he himself was.

Karkat wants to say something like, let me be your one man tour guide through BDSM and Sex with Randos 101, but as he tries to bring the words to his mouth they don’t come out. He exhales and steps forward to put his empty glass on the opposite edge of the dresser from where the stranger is standing.

Any bluster goes out of him. “Yeah… I’m gonna be real with you I don’t know a goddamn thing I’m doing. But uh, shit. I’d be down to try some stuff on you if you wanted me to. I mean, it seems like that’s what we’re supposed to do here anyways,” he says with a sigh.

_Tell him you want to_ , a voice inside him says. _Take control. You can have him._

“If you’re not interested then I get it but… I think I’m pretty interested.”

Close enough.

Wow does this shit move fast.

However, he braces himself for a rejection, casting his eyes down to look at the other play objects laid out, like paddles and handcuffs.

—

A wave of relief goes through Dave at the Carcino guy's admission. Okay, so they were both fucking newbies, and it seemed like he was interested in doing to Dave exactly what Dave wanted to be done to him.

And yet… it still feels so painfully awkward.

They're standing less than five feet from each other. Dave wishes he could just fast forward, maybe resume this little scenario right in the middle of this guy plowing him down on the bed, red hand prints littered across his ass… fuck, that would be nice.

"Yeah," he says. "I'm so down. Let's make this happen." Dave follows the guys eyes down to the other toys on the dresser. "Uh, should we like. Create a safe word? Because I'm thinking, _pickle_."

—

Karkat is not expecting the exhilaration that hits him when Dick says yes. His eyes slowly pick back off the table and up to the stranger’s masked face, his own cracking into a smile he can’t really control.

Holy shit. They’re gonna do it.

“Sounds good to me. If so I hope that’s the last time I hear that word come out of your mouth tonight.” Damn, that was actually… pretty smooth. He turns his body to completely face the man and the urge to touch him, even if just by taking him by the arm, is suddenly overwhelming. They’re still too far apart. “Any limits I should be aware of? I know sex is kind of the fucking theme here, but I sort of need to know if that’s gonna be something you’re not into.” _Because you are really hot and I kind of want to make you lose your mind_ , he doesn’t say.

The thought of him, curled over the bound and immobile stranger on the bed, fucking into him, instantly curls warmth in his stomach. It’s like a spark between them now, and he hopes the moment they touch it will burst into flame.

It all feels a little bit like betraying Dave, but Dave isn’t there right now. Dave doesn’t even know he exists. All that matters in that moment is the guy in front of him who actually seems to want him.

—

Okay, that was hot. The stranger smiles at Dave, and for some reason his thoughts turn to Karkat. _I'm doing this for you_ , he thinks. If he can just get this off his chest then maybe his brain won't turn into boiled grape jelly the next time he sees Karkat, and he'll actually be able to say more than two words to him.

He takes a few steps forward, trying to invoke some confidence that he does not in any way feel. They're doing this. They're making it happen. "No… blood, I guess," Dave says, wincing at the unsexy thought.

—

Suddenly, the man is standing right in front of him. No blood? Karkat knows enough to know that setting up limits is not the sexiest part, but it can’t be that low a bar.

His closeness surges something in Karkat. His heart rate, already fast, is pounding with excitement as he thinks about what he’s about to do with him.

He’s going to _have his way with him_. His stomach drops out from inside him.

In one heat-driven action, he reaches forward and grabs his closest wrist and pulls the man to him. Suddenly they’re sharing air, Karkat could even kiss him, but he doesn’t. Yet.

He doesn’t know where the words come. Or maybe he does, maybe he always did.

“Come on, handsome. Maybe it’d be better if you tell me what you _do_ want instead of what you _don’t_.”

He brazenly reaches out his opposite hand and runs it up Dick’s velvet suit, pure soft that transmits the building electric current between them. He runs them up until his hand is on the skin of his neck, delicate enough as if to say _stop me if you want to_ , and he stops when he’s got a hand gently cupped around his chin, brushing a thumb along the skin of his face. He smells really good, delicious even.

Something about the proximity explodes something within him. He can tell, even with the mask, that this guy is attractive. He wants to fuck this guys brains out and then some, if he’ll let him.

It’s there, he feels it. It’s not anything like what he’d imagine he’d share with Dave, but it’s definitely something. And he wants to know if this guy feels it now, too.

—

Dave is dying. Holy shit, how did he fall ass backwards into finding this guy? His stomach drops when the stranger pulls him in close, a heavy heat rising to his face in time with Carcino's fingers.

The word _handsome_ fizzes through Dave's brain and pops. Under the mask, he's surprised at how suddenly easy it is to lose himself to this _need_ that's inside him. He brings his hand up to meet Carcino's, completely swept up into the lust filled electricity of the air and the way it crackles along his skin. Karkat who?

He leans in toward the man in the black mask. “Just fuck me,” Dave whispers into his ear, heart racing.

—

The heat of his words goes straight between his legs. _Fuuuuuuuuck._

What the hell is this? He’s never this forward or fast. Is it the anonymity that’s offering him this boldness? He doesn’t know, can’t find it in himself to care. Tomorrow he might wake up regretful, shameful even, but he’s not thinking about that.

His hands shake, body thrumming with tension and energy, but he slips the hand from the man’s face to his hair, tangles his fingers in it tightly, and forces his lips to his.

He tilts his head so that they slot together, deepening it with his physical direction and savoring it fully. He tastes amazing, a hint of that margarita on his lips. Karkat loves it.

And then he wrenches him back, still holding Dick close to his face.

“Get on that bed and then don’t move unless I tell you to.”

—

Dave’s body flames as the stranger takes a fistful of his hair and brings their mouths together. He melts into the kiss, his arms rising to grasp at the man's hips. He smells fantastic, like whiskey and citrus. Dave can already feel himself getting hard in his pants.

Warmth floods his crotch at Carcino's direct order, sending a shiver through his entire body. Holy shit, he never thought it would feel this hot. He nods, swallowing against the sudden dryness of his throat, then walks, or maybe stumbles over to the bed and sits down, breathing hard.

—

Karkat wishes for a second he could close the door, shutting out any wandering voyeurs but to another degree he also doesn’t care. It’s kind of a thrill, being seen like this. Well, if anyone even bothers coming to see. It’s nowhere near the spectacle compared to what’s going on in other rooms. Well, so far.

It could be.

It’s definitely a rush when Dick obeys his order and goes to right to the bed obediently.

Karkat regards the man, sitting there and waiting for his next order, and finds that he can’t help himself. He steps to the bed and pulls him into another, truly addictive kiss. “For the rest of this night you’ll refer to me as ‘Sir’, understood?” He tries not to let his voice waver as he directs him. “Now take off your shoes and jacket. If there’s anything else you’d rather I call you, Dick, it would be the time.”

—

The guy is an amazing kisser. Dave almost wouldn’t be disappointed if this was just what they did all night.

Keyword being almost. Because— _Sir_.

The command once again goes straight to his dick, and Dave is surprised at just how hot it makes him.

Who is this guy? He seems to be getting into giving Dave orders just as much as Dave is getting off on receiving them.

His voice isn’t as easy and confident as others Dave has heard in videos, but it didn’t matter, all of the events going down in this room right now are definitely mcdoin’ it for him.

He nods and scrambles to take off his jacket and shoes, tossing them to the floor, before reseating himself on the bed to await another order. The immediate coolness on his chest feels good.

Dave has a crazy thought. He just needs this to be for him, he wants to own it. And it’s not like he’s going to see this guy ever again. He goes for it.

“Dave, call me Dave,” he blurts breathlessly. “Sir.”

—

_Wait, what?_

Karkat is fried twice. The first is when the man says _Dave_. The second is when he calls him Sir.

His brain short circuits for a moment. Man did that word, Sir, sound so sinfully good coming out of his mouth. He can’t wait to hear him say it again.

But oh, _Dave_? This has to be a coincidence of cosmic proportions, because there’s no way in hell this is the Dave he works with.

He assesses the man’s features-- without the jacket it’s easier to see his figure, but he still can’t really make out his face. His hair is definitely similar as well.

But it’s just… there’s no way.

His entire being is thrown off for a moment, and for a second he’s the guy who can’t say a single word to someone he works with.

No, there’s no way. It has to be a coincidence. The universe is laughing at him or playing with him or _something_. But there’s no way that this is _his Dave_. Well, not even _his_ Dave. It just can’t be the Dave he knows.

But this is the Dave that gets to be his tonight.

Fuck.

“Right, uh, okay then _Dave_!” He says, voice pitching a little higher for a moment. He clears his throat before speaking again. He has this man, pliable at his very word, and he doesn’t even know where to begin.

He drops his voice down again to it’s usual octave and steps forward again, placing a hand on the man’s waist, thumbing into his waistband and then running his hand down the soft fabric to the length of the zipper, fingers grazing the small bulge he thinks he can see growing there in the dim lighting. If feels so perverted, but it seems that the stranger-- _Dave_ , is quite into it. “You look incredible in this, but I think you’ll look even better taking it off for me.” Karkat wonders if the man can see the hungry flash of his own eyes from within his mask, roving his face. He searches the man’s mask, but gains no further clarification to his true identity.

“Take off everything except your shirt, slowly. I want to watch you.”

—

Dave is worried he did something wrong when the man hesitates and stumbles over his name, his eyes searching Dave’s for so long he starts to feel less turned on and more embarrassed.

It’s ironic, he briefly thinks, that his eyes are so on display right now to this complete stranger when normally they’re the one thing he keeps hidden away, even among friends, coworkers.

Tonight though, he’s himself. Or at least, who he this stranger wants him to be, he thinks daringly.

The heat returns to his face when the man steps forward and touches him, and Dave sucks in a little breath when the slow moving fingers brush faintly over his dick.

_Incredible._

Dave tries to wrap his mind around the compliment, but it snaps back like a thick rubber band. Suddenly he’s worried he’s not saying enough, not doing enough.

“You—you look good too,” he tries, while also starting to slowly peel off his pants. It feels a little ridiculous. He doesn't know what else to say.

His face burns in a mixture of anxiety, arousal and embarrassment. Fuck! How did he swerve so far out of the moment? This is exactly why he could never get up the nerve to talk to Karkat. His mind just got in the way, stirring up a storm of shit that he would end up running away just to stop from spilling over.

He fumbles a little with his pants, plopping back onto the bed in a way that's probably not very sexy at all. _C'mon_ , he thinks, _Just be cool._

—

_You look good too_.

Karkat shrivels a little inside. The suit and mask is doing a lot of work for him, isn’t it?  
But thankfully, in the moment it’s an afterthought. It fades away in the heady rush of watching Dave follow his orders.

He reaches out and grabs Dave by the hair again.

“I think you forgot something,” he says heatedly, with a bit of a grin. Can’t let him slip up this early in the night now.

—

And just like that, every thought is forced from his mind. Flames spark up in his gut as he swallows hard and squeaks, "Sir! Sorry."

—

He could probably never get tired of hearing him say that.

“Good. If you forget again, I might not be so nice about it, okay?” Karkat smiles and lets go of his hair, and then steps away again so Dave can proceed.

Dave had sort of squirmed under his direction on the bed, and Karkat was surprised to find that he found it bizarrely arousing.

_He liked watching Dave squirm._ That’s a load of a thought right there.

“Keep…” he tries, but finds it lacks the strength and tries again. “Keep taking those off, just for me, Dave.”

He wants to say something more, say how he’d punish Dave for slipping up again, but when he’s so far away from him the words don’t come out. It’s almost like sharing the heated breathing space with Dave makes it easier.

—

Dave nods furiously. Hearing his real name tacked onto the end of that order is lighting up his insides like a christmas tree.

“Yes sir,” he says quietly, testing it out. It’s good, demeaning, but in like, a totally hot way. He likes being ordered around. He’s equally enjoying complying with those orders, although a small part of him wonders with a heated, thrilled curiosity, what exactly might be behind the man’s threat.

He quickly shucks his pants off the rest of the way, along with his socks, letting everything just land on the floor.

Now he’s only wearing his white dress shirt and a pair of black silk boxer briefs he’d picked out special for tonight. He fingers his waistband hesitantly, feeling hot under Carcino’s intense stare. This is it. He’s feeling nervous; showing his dick to someone, even this masked, hot stranger is still kind of a big deal to him.

—

Karkat drinks up the sight of him pulling off his clothes. He’d been half-hard before, and now he was completely swollen. He doesn’t know what all is doing that to him, if it’s just from watching him strip or if it’s from Dave’s obedient responses or both. Maybe it’s the intention behind it, because Karkat knows Dave wants to be fucked by him. His chest practically trills when Dave calls him ‘sir’ once more, and he swears he gets a little harder.

And then he’s facing down this handsome stranger, stripped to his boxer briefs, and Karkat is blasted with full frontal heat coursing his body. He wants him. He wants him so _badly_. He wants to touch him, own him, make him beg through panting breaths, control his orgasms… _fuck_ the list goes on.

He can sense Dave’s hesitation as he fingers along the waistband. It feels like a tease, however unintentional. Karkat must have arousal written all over his face: mouth slightly dropped open, eyes almost glazed over. He’s hungry for him.

Karkat is caught between telling him to bare all for him at his order or going up to Dave and doing it himself. But the urge to touch him weighs out because he already misses that shared body heat and the way his hands felt on Dave.

He stumbles forward back to the bed, letting Dave’s legs bracket his body.

“Let me,” Karkat says in a voice that drips with wound-up purpose. He dips fingers into his waistband on both sides and starts to pull down his boxer briefs at a painfully slow rate. He doesn’t look as he does, though. He looks straight at Dave’s face, taking in his response.

—

As the stranger approaches, Dave's nerves settle as he loses himself to the hungry way Carcino is looking at him. He wants to whine, to push his ass up off the bed like a cheap whore, anything for this man to just take him already. His dick is rock hard now, and is pretty much trying to do all the begging for him.

His utterance of _Let me_ drops molten heat straight into Dave’s core.

_Fuck_.

Dave's whole body tenses as Carcino hovers over him, staring into his eyes while his fingers tracing fire along Dave’s hips. His breath hitches as he feels the underwear slip down inch by inch, arousal burning through him.

He finally turns his head away, bearing his neck as his dick is freed into the open air. It's so much, and so _good_ at the same time.

—

It’s very tempting for Karkat to reach forward and put his lips to Dave’s neck along the bare stretch of skin above his collar, but he doesn’t. Yet.

He slips the boxer briefs down to his knees, and finally lets his eyes float down to Dave’s dick.

Dave is definitely hard. It’s pretty damn validating to see.

Heat radiates intensely between their bodies and he’s probably still shaking, but he keeps going and lets the briefs slide off to the ground.

And then he steps back to admire Dave fully.

“Incredible…” he breathes, almost without knowing it. Dave does look incredible, head tossed to the side in anticipation, collared button down shirt framing nicely to his body, and the erect, good looking cock sticking out from under it.

_He’s already almost a mess and Karkat can’t wait to ruin him._

Holy shit, that was an intense thought. But as Karkat uncovers that spot in his mind bit by bit he finds that it comes naturally, almost. He’d been ignoring it for so long without someone to tap upon it, and now given the opportunity he didn’t want to stop.

He steps forward and grabs Dave by the hair once more, gripping his fingers in tightly and leaning forward to mouth at his neck while tipping the man’s head back, revealing more to him. Even his skin tastes lovely. With his other hand he slides up Dave’s leg until he’s wrapping his fingers around his cock, feeling with his hands as he tries a slow pump, and then reaches a thumb up to play with the tip.

It’s not that Dave is small, Karkat just has… over average sized hands.

He removes his mouth from Dave’s neck to speak into his ear hotly as he rubs his finger in a circle at the tip of Dave’s dick. “This is all mine tonight, okay? You won’t touch it one more time. You’ll come when I let you. Understand?”

—

Carcino is covering his body, the heat between them sizzling and Dave keeps his eyes averted as the underwear slide all the way to the floor. The man's body heat disappears for a second, and then he hears the soft word float over him like a blanket, warming his skin.

_Incredible._ The praise, the compliment, it sets his face on fire.

Then Carcino's body is back over his and they're sharing that delicious heat once again. Something about the way the man takes his head and moves it exactly where he wants it makes Dave's dick throb.

And then he feels those hot lips and tongue against his neck and his breaths turn shaky. Oh fuck, oh _fuck_ does that feel good. It's like his senses are on high alert, every nerve in his skin responding to the stimulus. Dave is so affected by their little show here tonight, losing it early is starting to become a serious concern.

And then a warm hand wraps around his cock and Dave groans immediately as it pumps once, and then moves on to play around his sensitive head.

_This is mine._

The words nearly break Dave in half, and he can't help it when his answer comes out some place halfway between words and a moan.

"Yes... _sir._ "

And the rest of the rules, holy fuck, he's gonna combust. "Yes, it's all yours," his mouth goes on quickly, while his body shivers hotly under the man's hand, "Use it… use me–god _please_ , fuck."

—

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Karkat can tell how reactive Dave is to his commands. He _loves_ it.

And then Dave says he wants Karkat to _use him_ and he’s going to lose his mind.

“Very good, Dave,” he affirms, trying not to show how affected he is by what Dave just said. He can’t help it. He’ll get lost in this role, Dave is making it so easy for him. Is it always this easy? Are they just… connecting well? Still holding Dave by the hair, he pulls him forward for another kiss. He slots their mouths together, lets his tongue dip in and lick into Dave’s mouth and along his lower lip, loving the taste of him. And then he pulls away to whisper in his ear once more. “However, I believe that should have been, 'Use me, _sir_ ', am I correct? Go lay in the middle of the bed and _don’t move_.”

He lets go and steps back to watch Dave follow his orders.

—

Dave's body sings, at both praise and the mention of his name again. He can hear that Carcino's voice is a little shaky, and he’s pleased to know that he's enjoying himself. That he's using Dave to enjoy himself.

Then he pulls Dave in for another kiss and it's like holy shit, he just wants to drown in this man's mouth, he can't fucking get enough. Every swipe of his tongue adds to the pleasurable crescendo building in Dave's gut. The hand in his hair is like Dave’s anchor to this world, sending steady jolts to his dick and holding him steady as he circles around losing himself in the cloudy, heady pit of everything.

There's this electricity between them that's almost indescribable, this connection that's making everything so heated and so real. It's like their bodies are one step ahead of their minds, it's almost like they already know each other.

He didn't say sir when he was fucking babbling and begging like a dog in heat, and his face is hot as he nods and scoots backwards, into the center of the bed. Carcino is just standing there, watching Dave and he feels his cheeks blaze. He hopes he’s right in that he should be facing up. Dave spreads his arms and legs so no limb is curled under him, and looks back to Carcino. From his peripherals, Dave can see his own chest rising and falling rapidly, and his aching cock laying heavy on his stomach.

Carcino is still fully dressed in that gray suit. He still looks incredibly hot. Dave’s rain goes rampant with sinful visions—the man pushing him over and fucking him with the suit still on, or yanking Dave by the neck until his head is dangling off the side of the bed, and feeding Dave his cock until he can feel the zipper scratching along his face.

Dave is so far beyond turned on right now, his body is just _aching_ with need. But he can only wait, trying and failing to stop himself from fidgeting tensely on the bed.

—

Karkat watches him act greedily. He can see him floundering on the bed, and he drinks up Dave’s tension as he lay there wondering what Karkat is about to do. It’s a thrill unlike anything else he’s experienced, being so in control of his body like this. He loves the way Dave’s chest rises and falls erratically, his dick clearly screaming to be touched. It’s matched with wicked possessiveness he can barely fathom, knowing Dave’s body is _his _to play with and drive wild. He could see himself getting addicted to Dave’s reactivity already and they’ve barely even started. He doesn’t know this guy… but he wants to.__

He goes back over to the dresser, hands floating over the objects until he finds what he’s looking for, two leather adjustable cuffs. He picks them up and walks back over to the bed, enjoying how he can loom over Dave’s body like this. He takes Dave’s hand and pulls it up above his head over to the bedpost, where an attached chain hangs down.

_Man, they really thought of everything didn’t they?_ , Karkat muses as he wraps the first cuff around Dave’s wrist and attaches it to the chain, high enough without slack so Dave can’t move his arm.

He circles around and repeats the same procedure with his other wrist. When he’s confident with the bondage he walks back to the table and scoops up a couple condoms into his pocket and a container of lube. He debates for a second if he should also cuff down Dave’s legs, and then decides against it. He can always add that later.

He glances to the side as movement flashes in the doorway, and he sees a couple of people watching. Heat immediately runs up his neck and he feels that persistent nervousness draw up before he breathes in and looks back at Dave. The people don’t matter, Dave does.

With that he leans forward on the bed and one by one, plucks open the buttons of Dave’s shirt until he can run a hand from his neck down to his groin. He wants to be able to see the bare skin of his chest, watch his abs constrict as he drives him crazy. He knows he will. He touches the warm skin of his neck, and feels all the way down until he’s floating right next to his dick.

With all that out of the way, he applies a bit of lube to his hand and places his dry hand on Dave’s thigh, thumb circling the sensitive skin there.

“I’m going to touch you now, and if you’re close at all to coming, you need to tell me. You will not forget to say ‘Sir’ when you do. If you forget, that’s one spank after. If you come without telling me, it will be _many_ more than that. Oh, and don’t move your arms or legs. Understood?”

He wraps his hand around Dave’s dick and just holds it there, waiting for his confirmation.

—

Dave nearly seizes when he sees Carcino pick up the handcuffs. Oh fuck, oh fuck. This is happening. Right here, right now. He swallows hard as the man takes his arms one by one and stretches them above his head, listens as the chains click into place and he loses the ability to move his arms. He tugs against them once, testing. They don't give at all, and the new feeling of being cuffed and spread wide at someone else's whim is driving him wild, sending pulse after pulse of heat straight down his body and to the tip of his dick.

Dave can't lift his head very much, but he can still see Carcino go over to the dresser. He can't see what he takes though. Maybe a condom? He also sees the people peeking in at them through the door. Dave flushes; he didn't think it when he'd first walked in this place, but suddenly the idea of random people watching him get his brains fucked out was intensely appealing.

When Carcino finally returns to the bed, Dave watches him from this new angle, body burning under his gaze. He doesn't say anything, but he can't stop himself from tensing like a string being pulled taut as Carcino slowly unbuttons his shirt. His hands are big and strong looking, and Dave wants them all over him. When one trails down Dave's chest he shudders, and as it approaches his cock he shamelessly tilts his hips up, letting out a puff of air.

Carcino doesn't touch him there though, only stops to hover just above it. Dave watches, holding his breath, as he applies some lube to one hand, and then uses the other to rub Dave's inner thigh, creating ripples of desire that make his dick jump. The thick air of anticipation has Dave squirming into the bed, arms pulling against the restraints. Oh fuck, oh fuck.

The effort of craning his neck up to see what's happening is making Dave's breaths come in small and sharp, but he needs to watch as Carcino gives his next orders.

His eyes widen as he listens, mouth dropping open a little. He’s not allowed to touch himself, to come, to even _move_. Ironically, the lack of control is almost exhilarating. Dave is more than ready to give into this yearning he’s had inside him for so long, to own the things he’s often fantasized about Karkat doing to him without ever putting a label on it.

But he knows now. Dave _wants_ to submit, he wants to be tossed and ravaged like a cheap toy, he wants this man to use him selfishly, and he wants to be punished. The word _spank_ , echoes through his mind, searing his insides.

A slickened hand wraps around Dave's cock and he whimpers in a way that should be totally embarrassing except he's absolutely out of his mind with need.

The too gentle pressure on his dick is maddening. "Yes, sir," he nearly wines in response, desperately willing the hand to _move_ , and already trying hard not to thrust up into Carcino's fist.

—

At Dave’s whining admission, Karkat begins to pump his hand up and down along his shaft. He watches Dave, ready to change his pace or tightness based off his reactions. Dave is so terribly hard in his hands, it’s driving Karkat himself a little crazy. They’re both reacting to each other like perfectly coordinated feedback loops.

He almost hopes Dave won’t be able to refrain from moving his legs… It’s like a gut punch when he realizes that he _wants_ Dave to mess up, so he’ll have an excuse to _punish_ him. Holy crap, he’s just beginning to understand how much he enjoys this, how much it’s turning him on. He’s been missing it this whole time. Watching Dave fall apart under his touch is making his own cock strain in his pants, but he’s in no rush to get to that. He’s savoring every moment of this.

Dave cants his hips up as he starts to increase his pace, so Karkat reaches forward and shoves his hips down with his other hand, stilling him. He can’t even begin to imagine how they look right now-- he’s fully clothed while Dave lay there practically naked, but he knows that he loves seeing him like this, controlling his body. It makes the difference in this fleeting relationship that much more stark.

_It doesn’t have to be fleeting_ , a part of his brain whispers.

Karkat pumps down on his dick harder so as to not think about it, watching Dave struggle not to react or move.

—

There's no way he'll be able to keep his legs still. Dave tries though, focuses on it as much as he can with Carcino's fist sliding wetly up and down his cock, his fingers curling and uncurling uselessly from where they hang. He has to drop his neck back onto the bed when it gets too tired of holding his head up.

Plus, he's being practically assaulted with the too hot image of Carcino staring into his eyes while he strokes Dave in that gray suit, with a wide hand splayed over his hip bone to hold him down. And then Carcino's grip tightens, working him tighter, and Dave is going to fucking come already, it's been absolutely no time at all, but he can't help it, everything feels so _good_ and it's so much, and now he's he's not allowed–

He jerks his head up. "Stop," he chokes out, and thinks it might be too late, as his hips try to buck fiercely, and when they can't his knees pop up instead, as if to boost his bottom half. Oh _shit_.

“I'm gonna– _fuck_ –sir," he pants in staccato.

Dave's face heats as he looks at Carcino, he broke a rule, and his body thrums with excitement at what the man will do to him for it.

—

_Fuck, he’s already close_. The thought brings Karkat a strange visceral joy he’d never felt before. He can barely believe the depraved excitement he’s getting from this.

He stops immediately, watching as Dave pants and writhes below him. This is a sight he could never tired of.

“Very good, Dave. But it’ll still be two spanks after this,” he smirks. He releases Dave’s dick but still floats his hands down near it.

“Now do I need to tie your legs down or _can you be good_?”

—

He stops his movements and Dave is half relieved, half agonized.

He wants to. He wants to be so good. But his dick is hard and leaking and the looming promise of a spanking is driving him wild with arousal.

“I don’t know if I can—I can try, I want to you’re just so hot dude this is too hot, how are you so good at this,” he babbles, still trying to wiggle his hips. Carcino is still holding him down, one hand hovering just above his aching cock. “Sir,” he hears himself purr, low and needy.

—

_You’re just so hot_.

Dave doesn’t even know what Karkat looks like. He frowns for a flash second but then brings himself back into this charged moment they’re sharing. He wants to fuck him so badly… but not yet. But he’s not done driving Dave to the edge yet.

He doesn’t even think he’s that good, Dave is just so severely impacted by it all, as impacted as Karkat himself is.

And then Karkat hears him say it, with the begging tone in his voice that is driving him absolutely mad. _Sir_. Fuck, he can’t get enough of that sound, it’s ridiculous. It just seals the deal for him- he’s not done edging Dave like this, watching him fall apart. Not even a little bit.

He shifts forward and with his dry hand he takes Dave by the hair again and lifts his head so that he’s looking directly at his face. “I need you to be good, Dave. You’ll be good for me, won’t you?”

—

Carcino's grip on Dave's hair is like a direct line to his dick, sending a flash of heat through him. And then he's looking at Dave face on, his voice cutting cleanly through Dave’s needy haze, heated and demanding.

Dave knows Carcino likes it when he says sir. He can hear the changes in the man's breathing, feel the way his hands tense; the knowledge that he's just as into what's going on as Dave is drips deliciously into the well of his desire.

"Yes, sir," he begs quickly. "I promise I'll be good for you sir!"

—

Karkat holds him there for a long moment, lets him calm down. Again, he’s in no rush. He leans forward to kiss Dave and then he’s back near his hips, taking ahold of his dripping cock once more. “I know you will be,” he smiles, but doesn’t believe it.

He shamelessly lets his eyes roam Dave’s body as he start to pump him steadily, secretly hoping he’ll continue to slip up. His brain also selfishly provides him with further fantasies- fucking a completely naked Dave with his suit still on is one that strikes him. He wonders if he can get Dave to beg for it, at the same time he knows it’s entirely presumptuous.

—

"Thank you," Dave breathes, when Carcino touches him again. It just slips out, and he finds he likes the feel of the words on his tongue more than he ever thought he would.

Dave is panting and close in about half the amount of time as before, Carcino's eyes on him are stoking fire. His toes are curling as Carcino rhythmically strokes his cock with that slick, warm hand, and Dave should say stop, but he doesn't, he knows he can make it a few more seconds, and it feels so _good_.

—

Karkat can see him losing control. His abdomen is tensing up, his breathing sped up, legs straining to the bed.

It doesn’t seem like Dave could be good, after all. Karkat continues to pump him, waiting for his words to tell him to stop. He should be nice, say something, but Dave is lost in it. Karkat isn’t exactly keen on preventing his potential punishment, anyways.

—

He couldn’t make it a few more seconds. Dave’s vision whites out for a moment as Carcino’s hand on his cock brings him over the edge. Dave’s last minute attempt to say something becomes a loud cry of “Sir!” as he comes, body jerking up the bed, and his wrists pulling against the chains until they feel sore.

He slumps immediately, chest heaving and head thrown back. _Fuck._

—

Karkat jerks him to completion and then writhing overstimulation. Dave’s come spills down his hand, spurts on to his stomach. He sigh and lets go, though he feels the opposite of terribly disappointed.

He doesn’t say anything yet, just letting Dave wallow post-orgasm while he wonders what his punishment is going to be.

Karkat stands up and grabs some tissues to wipe his hand off, and then returns with more for Dave’s stomach. He doesn’t touch his leaking dick, avoids it completely. When he’s thrown those away he returns and seats himself by Dave’s head, lifting him up from under the neck with a tight grip instead of taking him by the hair.

“You couldn’t follow the rules,” he says. “I do think you deserve punishment but… hm. What do you think _you_ deserve?”

—

Dave gasps at the sudden manhandling. It’s helplessly arousing, even in the wake of his orgasm.

“I think I deserve to be punished, sir," he says in a rush. Does he want Dave to be more specific? Like a paddling? A rough fuck? How can he know what's a punishment when it all sounds so good?

—

“That’s not,” Karkat says, tightening his grip, “what I asked.” He’s intrigued by the idea of giving Dave his own suggested punishment, but it does depend on what he suggests.

—

Dave's face heats. He does have to specify, oh shit. After all this, the thought is embarrassing beyond belief, that he actually has to ask for this punishment he desperately wants. His face burns and he averts his eyes trying to turn his head and squirm away from Carcino's hold on him.

"Um, _shit_ , I don't know, 50 lashes man, just punish me!" he huffs.

—

Karkat’s face breaks into a smile. Dave is a mess. He can tell how badly he wants it. It’s a little overwhelming how much he knows he’ll enjoy punishing him, though _lashes_ weren’t specifically what he had in mind. He’s leaning towards something more tactile, where he’ll be able to feel the sting on his own hand too.

“I see,” he says, giving Dave no other indications of his thoughts. He lets go of Dave’s head and starts about unhooking his wrists from the chains, but leaves the cuffs on as a reminder of what he is right now. Heat flashes in Karkat’s stomach as he consider Dave in a collar as well, and the thought makes him so warm he can barely stand it.

It’s not just the idea of Dave in a collar, it’s the clear statement of ‘This is mine.’ The heady possessiveness of the situation strikes him again.

When Dave is released Karkat steps back. “Stand up and bend over the bed, Dave,” he directs.

—

"Yes, sir," he says, struck with the sound of his name at the end of the order. It's good, so good. He likes being told what to do, and he really loves the idea of not having any control at all. Dave has a brief fantasy of being completely suspended and left to Carcino's whim and a shiver runs through him.

Carcino didn't respond to the lashes comment. Or did he think Dave was serious? Either way, Dave pulls himself up and slides to the floor, turning around and bending over the bed. He has to brace himself on his elbows. Dave can see the cuffs on both of his arms, and it makes his face warm.

He immediately finds that the position pulls on his thighs, and he has to bend his knees to be even a little bit comfortable, which pushes his ass further up into the cool air.

Even with his shirt on he feels so fucking exposed like this, and not being able to see Carcino but knowing he's definitely watching sends hot flashes of arousal through Dave's body.

The stance makes him ache to be fucked. But he can only wait, trembling slightly with anticipation, for what comes next.

—

Karkat can’t help it, he’s grinning to himself as Dave tensely sets him up, bare ass completely displayed just for him. From how they are standing in the room no onlookers can see, and Karkat is glad for it. He wants Dave all to himself.

He comes and stands right next to Dave so that he can easily slide one hand around his neck, pushing Dave down to the bed so that his cheek is pressed upon it. It’s not the kindest thing to do, but it does give Karkat leverage over his body. With his other hand he slides down Dave’s shirt until his hand is above his ass before he dips down and strokes it. He does that for a moment, letting himself enjoy touching it and allowing Dave to adjust to the sensation as he gives a new set of directions.

“I’m going to spank you now, exactly twenty-six times, six for each time you broke a rule and twenty for coming without telling me. You will not move your legs, and you will count out each one for me. Can you do that for me?”

—

Being pressed down into the mattress sends a jolt through Dave's body, and Carcino sliding his wide hands over Dave's ass makes him shiver. Holy shit, he is loving every second of this.

His legs already have tremors, there's no way he's gonna get through this without moving. Along with the excitement, he can't ignore the flutter of nerves. Dave's never actually been spanked before, and 26 sounds like a fuck ton. The thought still sends a pulse of heat down his spine, though.

"Yes sir," he answers dutifully, and closes his eyes, helplessly tensing up for the first spank.

—

Karkat almost laughs, finding it _cute_ that Dave is already tensing up before he’s unleashed a strike, or even lifted his hands off his bottom.

“Good,” he says, but doesn’t lift his hands just yet. He rubs his ass a little more, shamelessly squeezing once. There isn’t much there… just enough, though. He doesn’t mind all that much either way.

He lets Dave marinate in the tension for another half second before he lifts his hand and unleashes the first strike on his closest cheek, not even close to full power, but enough for there to be sting he can begin to calibrate.

_One_.

—

Shit. The blow definitely stings more than Dave expected. He feels his whole bottom half jerk, pushing his face into the bed. And yet it’s still unquestionably hot.

“One,” he shudders out.

—

Karkat can feel Dave reacting to the impact. He feels himself responding, that strange joy in his bones as he leverages a harder smack against Dave.

“Two,” he gasps.

Karkat can hear his breathing change up, see the way he tenses after he does. Dave exhales heavily, gasping out.

A third, fourth, and fifth follow with increasing intensity. Karkat does one more, and is surprised when Dave moans out the number, and then _giggles_.

Karkat realizes that Dave is enjoying it, and after the seventh that he’s _really_ enjoying it. The chemicals are kicking in and Dave is loving it. It’s such an intense realization for Karkat fears he won’t be able to keep his balance or continue on. Dave quickly swallows his giggle.

“You don’t have to hide it, that nice noise for me,” Karkat directs. He wants to hear everything he can out of Dave, particularly these sounds forced out by his own hand.

It is so tempting to just fuck him now, but he wants to bring Dave to the top of his chemical high.

Who’s to say he can’t still spank him while he’s inside him?

—

A little more than halfway through the spanking, Dave is floating somewhere he can't name, but he can sense himself, rock hard and drooling on the sheets while being carried by overwhelming sensation of Carcino's hand smacking repeatedly against his ass.

There's no one watching them, there's no one else in the world except this beautiful stranger he's discovered and the incredible connection they've formed. He counts out the best he can, but it's getting harder and harder to concentrate on them between the intermittent giggles and moans that escape his lips.

The only other thing he could need right now is to be fucked, he's dying to feel Carcino slide into him and claim him as his own. Just the thought makes Dave moan louder than before, his dick helplessly throbbing where it's trapped between his stomach and the bed.

—

 The high is a feeling Karkat can’t say he’s ever felt before. It feels like he’s flying.

He puts more force into the impact, more and more until Dave is wheezing out the last numbers. His hand aches, but it’s a satisfying sting, like he’s more connected with Dave. Yet despite enough force applied to leave marks, Dave appears to be both smiling and completely hard again.

It’s like heated claws down his arms and back, a cutting burn of _want_ and _need_ when Karkat notices. He wants Dave, wants him indecently sprawled out just for him, a complete mess at his own hands, blissed out of his mind, all because of him.

It’s intense and sudden and he can’t tell where these thoughts are coming from. Maybe it’s the charged nature of this moment they’re sharing. Maybe it’s that half of him wants to dig into Dave and never let him go and the other half is tugging him in another direction, towards the man who doesn’t know he exists. But then just like that, he’s back there with Dave, running comforting strokes over Dave’s ass.

“Hey there,” he says, unable to stop himself from smiling as he says it “You did well.” Maybe he should stop this, he should stop with Dave and check in on him before going any further. Was it enough? Too much? He’s so out of his depth… Karkat has a flash of that developing anxiety again, but then Dave makes a noise, an unholy anguished sound after Karkat lifts his hands from him.

Karkat puts his hands back on his body as fast as he can.

He doesn’t know if he’ll ever want to be done with this. It’s so good. He’s got to get control of himself, he can feel his body pressuring for more.

It’s when he leans over to see Dave’s face, and Dave tilts his head up to the side, that Karkat can see devastated arousal mirrored on his face.

The words are out of Karkat’s mouth before he can stop himself. “I’m going to fuck you now,” he breathes, one hand slipping to rest in Dave’s hair, not pulling, just supplying his implied presence, a silent promise to fulfill what Dave asked for. “Lay on the bed for me, on your front.” He steps back to watch Dave obey him.

—

When Carcino announces he's going to fuck him, Dave whines loudly, not even trying to hide it. He's floating, in a cloud of arousal, and every touch from him heats Dave's skin in the best way.

He knees onto the bed and pulls himself forward, dick aching as it drags sweetly against the fabric. He presses his hips down into the feeling, letting out shaky little breaths. He can't stop the constant stream of begging he hears coming from his own mouth to be touched, fucked, _please_.

—

Hearing Dave so desperate for him is thrilling. Karkat can’t help but smile as Dave splays out for him. He makes a note to get that shirt off of him soon. He tosses some lube and condoms onto the bed, his own erection aching in his pants.

It was worth it to wait to see Dave is begging for him now. Karkat can barely believe he’s gotten him to this point. He’s on his own high, watching Dave fall apart for him like this. It’s… there’s a part of his brain, part that he thinks he is ashamed of, that says this is everything Karkat has ever wanted.

He uses the condoms and lube to work Dave open, starting with circling a finger around Dave’s hole and drinking in how he hisses at the sensation, with the promise of more to come. He pushes in further, going slowly as to not hurt Dave and bring him out of the floaty high. But Dave urges him on.

“ _More_.”

Fuck, does he know what he’s even saying? Maybe after all this he should have expected Dave wouldn’t want slow and and easy buildup for that. Considering it is like fire in his veins. He wants to be inside Dave, wants to be inside him so badly, fucking this stranger into the bed.

Karkat adds a second finger as Dave babbles away words into the bed, but then he tips his head and says very clearly:

“Just fuck me… _sir_.”

And he just tips over the edge at that word. He wants to hear Dave say his name, his real name, but it’s a ridiculous thought.

Everything is deliberate, letting Dave simmer just like that. He’s not going to give into his begging as much as he wants to. It all nearly breaks him, in the way Dave grabs the bed as he pulls down the zipper, the arch of his back as he tears open the condom, the way Dave strains to look at him as he rolls it up his length.

There’s one last detail.

“Take off your shirt,” Karkat directs.

—

Dave whines and thrashes on the bed when Carcino's fingers withdraw; he's begging senselessly, words spilling out in jumbles that he doesn't care to overthink. It feels like Carcino is moving in slow motion when Dave looks back at him, nearly drooling as he watches him put on a condom. He's still completely dressed in his suit, with his nicely curved dick jutting out from the open fly. It's a good sight.

Dave scrambles to get up on his knees to take his shirt off, finally, He tosses the shirt to the side and throws himself back down on the bed eagerly. The cool air on his back is a nice contrast to the burning heat between his legs. Fuck. He wants to touch himself so badly, too. But he won't, not unless he's told to. He's still locked in that heady space that's whispering constantly about how much he wants to please Carcino, how he yearns to follow his orders and to get praised by him. So he waits.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Dave has never wanted to be fucked more in his life, there's an ache inside him that's _throbbing_ , he needs this. He needs to be taken like he's never dared to ask anyone before.

"I need you, _fuck_ , please, sir," he gasps out, rocking his hips desperately in the air.

—

Karkat, again, wishes the lighting in the room wasn’t as dim as Dave throws off his shirt for him. He lets his eyes roam down his back once, but he’ll have time for that that later when he’s inside his sub.

That’s a thought he could get drunk off of.

He straddles Dave’s legs and takes a hold of his hips, hauling him up so that he’s on his elbows and knees, face still on the bed. With one hand he holds Dave steady and with the other he guides himself inside. It’s still a bit tight, but with the prep and a bit of push he slides in, sighing out brokenly as he slowly sinks.

It was worth the wait.

Karkat can’t take his eyes off himself entering Dave, still fully clothed while Dave lay naked begging and presenting his ass just for him, _his Sir_. It’s all so completely obscene, and he absolutely loves it. Once he gets down to the base at his pants, which may or may not end up ruined after this, he gives an experimental thrust. It’s so hot and perfect he almost collapses on top of Dave. He has to focus down, take ahold of Dave’s hips to keep himself up.

And then he thrusts forward again, watching himself disappear into that perfect hole once more, squeezing Dave by the hips. He won’t be able to hold on much longer like this.

“Fuck, _Dave_ ,” he gasps, unable to stop himself.

—

Dave whimpers and bites his teeth, grunting against the sweet burn and stretch of Carcino finally sliding into him. His hands fist into the sheets, it's so _good._

Hearing his own name aloud like that, couched in Carcino's obvious pleasure, tunes something inside Dave, and he lets out a long, low moan, sinking into the feeling. He can feel his body relax, losing himself until the only things he can feel are the points where Carcino is touching him; the strong hands on his hips, the scratch of his pants against Dave's ass, and his cock slickly filling him, blood hot and unyielding.

Every thrust feels better than the last. _Harder_ , Dave thinks, or possibly says. He's not sure anymore.

—

Karkat reaches forward to grab a rough handful of Dave’s hair, allowing for more leverage over his body but hesitates when he notices a distinct splash of ink covering Dave’s shoulder.

It touches on something in his memory, something so far out of the moment he shouldn’t be thinking of it, but it’s just so familiar.

If only the lighting weren’t so dim.

He takes his hand back and puts it back on Dave’s hips, barely keeping pace as he stares at the shoulder.

Dave shifts, pushing up onto his elbows with a groan and a patch of light from between the bed canopy sheets shines through, catching on his skin. Karkat watches in awe, thrusts slowing down, as Dave’s back flexes up before him and the attractive expanse of his back is illuminated, throwing the ink into clarity.

Karkat knows the tattoo. He recognizes it instantly. It belongs to one of his coworkers. He’d shown it off to everyone in the office, except Karkat, because he doesn’t know he exists, but Karkat had later seen the piece proudly posted on the coworker’s public Instagram.

It was drawn by the man himself, a completely original work of a bird in flight, music notes, and interlocking gears.

He knows this tattoo because it belongs to Dave Strider, the person he’s had a crush on for months now.

This unique tattoo that belongs to Dave Strider is on the back of this stranger who calls himself Dave that Karkat is currently fucking.

Oh god, this is that Dave. This Dave is actually his Dave.

He’s fucking Dave Strider. He’s having sex with the very person he had many times fantasized having it with.

Compelled by shock, he drives his hips forward sharply and Dave sprawls back on the bed, out of the light. The tattoo loses its illumination.

He could have made it up. He could be remembering wrong.

There’s just— There’s just no way that this is that Dave. There’s no way this is Dave Strider.

If he is, Karkat is a fraud, pulling a fast one on his crush, the person who again _doesn’t know he exists_ , maybe even actively avoids him. It’s wrong, he should stop, tell Dave he knows who he really is.

_"Harder,"_ Dave moans.

Karkat can’t stop. With a disbelieving gasp he thrusts more aggressively forward at his request, gripping Dave’s hips tightly. He sees the stranger before him in new light and suddenly he cannot look at him enough, cannot get enough of him. He wants to see every inch of Dave. He wants to savor him, taste him piece by piece as Karkat breaks him apart. He had not been as invested before. Now, Dave has him enraptured.

The revelation makes the sweet burn of being inside him all the more potent, and he can begin to feel orgasm rising to the surface, threatening to end their moment together. He doesn’t want it to, but his breathing is beginning to speed up, signaling the impending climax.

This is wrong. He should stop.

_He can’t._

He keeps fucking into him, almost entirely out of control. _I’m fucking my crush,_ Karkat thinks, completely in disbelief. _I’m fucking Dave Strider._


	2. Chapter 2

Dave drops his head as Carcino's pace increases, elbows splaying out on either side of his head. He lets his cheek mash into the bedsheets, the steady thrusts pulling one elongated whine from his lips. _Fuck._

When Carcino's movements quicken, Dave can no longer push back to meet them, so he just relaxes and lets himself get pounded roughly into the bed. He's melting into the feeling of being _taken_ like this, it's everything Dave wanted it to be. 

The only thing that could make it better would be if it was Karkat that was doing this to him. And it's easy for a second, to imagine that it _is_ Karkat who's squeezing his hips hard enough to bruise, that it's Karkat’s cock burying itself repeatedly inside Dave's ass, and making him gasp and groan into the sheets. 

The thoughts of his coworker send Dave sprawling toward his peak, he can feel the tension building up, fire poker hot and making his legs shiver out of his control. All he needs now is a little pressure on his dick, to take him over that edge….

"Sir," he pants out, "Please I... _mnnph_ , I need—" But Dave’s words are lost as Carcino starts bucking into him erratically, then, reducing the rest of his request into a low, blissed moan.

—

Karkat is still reeling when he says it. 

_Sir._

No, no, oh hell, it’s just like his fantasies. It’s Dave Strider, completely under his control. Calling him _Sir_. He can’t help himself, he fucks into him harder, as hard as he possibly can. He’s entirely out of control with no intention of stopping. 

It’s just… he’s not this lucky. No one is this lucky. But all signs are pointing to it: this man is Dave Strider. 

And Dave Strider is currently his submissive, if only fleetingly, just like he’s dreamed about. His stomach bottoms out. He doesn’t want to think about how Dave would react if he found out who it was behind the mask. Karkat imagines he would be horrified, but thankfully he manages to push that thought away for the moment. 

He’s so close. Dave is really starting to moan as he snaps into him and he knows he’s hitting him good and deep. He can hold on for Dave. He would go all night for Dave if he would let him. 

“Tell me--” Karkat gasps out between thrusts. He looks back down and is overwhelmed again by how insanely hot it is to watch himself disappear inside Dave. “Oh, Dave, _fuck_. Tell me what you want,” he breathes, trying to put some command into it. “Tell me what you need.” 

—

It's so hard to make his brain function with Carcino fucking into him like he is, with hearing his name spoken in that breathy way that melts his insides, but Dave can make out the command. 

The way Carcino's voice is thick with pleasure is so hot he can barely stand it. The knowledge that he’s using Dave to get himself off sits under his skin like fire. Every thrust hits deep, hammering that sweet spot inside of him and absolutely destroying him in the best way possible. 

Dave’s knees are shaking, and he's tensed all over with the effort to be a good sub, to keep himself up, and to not let himself come until he's allowed to. 

"Touch me, sir," he begs brokenly between whimpering moans, "I need it, please sir, can I come for you, can I, please?”

—

The ragged desperation in Dave’s voice is enough to break him. His eyes rake over Dave’s body, greedily watching him fall apart. 

It’s still…. He can’t stop thinking it. This is Dave Strider. _His Dave_. 

The thought is excessive. Dave Strider is not his, but he can’t stop himself, not when they’re like this. 

“Yes, yes, come for me, Dave. Touch yourself for me,” he pants, trying to get ahold on the curl of pleasure in his gut. He can’t quite determine if it’s his impending orgasm or the sickening joy of the situation. 

He doesn’t want this moment to end, because after Dave will no longer be his. Now, when he’s forced to gaze into the depths of what’s inside him, he’s finding that he wants to possess the man in front of him more than anything. A locked away part of his heart screams with indignance. 

_Mine_ , he wants to call Dave. To not only love and protect but also use and control. _Mine_. The word unfolds with new meaning before him. 

He continues to fuck into him with the intensity of the words he cannot speak. 

_It’s me, Karkat, don’t you know who I am? Be mine, Dave, please be mine._

—

Dave can't get his hand on his dick fast enough. The intensity is incredible, it's like he somehow wants it to stop, and never wants it to end at the same time. How is it possible that he feels more free, more… himself, here, with this stranger, than he has with anyone else? 

The thoughts about Karkat sit white hot on the surface of Dave’s mind, pushing him further under the endlessly building tiers of molten sensation, until he's buried so deep he can hardly _breathe_ with the force of how amazing it feels. 

It takes less than three strokes until Dave's vision blurs, his entire body shaking as he possibly comes harder than he ever has in his life. 

"Oh– _fuck_ , sir!"

High whines leak from Dave’s mouth between ragged gasps as he comes all over his hand, his stomach and the sheets below, all while Carcino is still pushing into him slick and fast, he’s taking everything he can from Dave, and it’s good, it's so _good_.

—

Hearing Dave calling for Karkat as he comes almost pushes him over the edge. He fucks Dave through his orgasm, savoring how Dave sounds, how his body curls in pleasure. Karkat’s grip stays at his hips, holding his body up possessively. He doesn’t want it to end. He wants to keep Dave in this moment. 

It’s bittersweet release when he finally comes inside him, _his_ Dave, and even with the protection he feels a sense of claiming. He squeezes his hands at Dave’s sides as he finishes, and the words bubble out from his lips without control. 

“Oh, Dave. _Mine_ ,” he whispers between shuddering exhalation. It shouldn’t feel so good as he says it or make his climax peak even sharper, but it does. It threatens to release a hundred other unfulfilled fantasies. 

He slows down, eventually, left panting and very warm in his suit. When he folds over Dave’s body and ghosts his lips over his tattoo, presses them to his neck, he’s aware of how terribly self-indulgent it is. He can’t bring himself to speak, but he knows he needs to. His heart is in his throat.

“Are you… fuck, are you good, Dave?” Karkat asks breathlessly. Had he been totally out of control? Was it too much? He wraps an arm around Dave’s chest, holding him up as he waits for an answer. He needs to step away, clean themselves both up, all the while somehow not signaling that he now knows the identity of the man he just had ‘anonymous’ sex with. 

Would asking to find a couch somewhere to cuddle and talk after be a ridiculous request? That seems pretty standard, aftercare and all that, but what even is the protocol when you also fucked? Is it just his crush speaking, trying to take advantage of the situation to stay close to Dave for as long as he can? He’s vaguely aware that he’s overthinking this but can’t help it. Not even the post-climax sleepiness can calm this anxiety. 

All he wants is to take care of Dave now, and get him whatever he needs after all that. Whether it’s a drink, food, Karkat’s touch or to never be touched by him again, he’ll do whatever Dave asks of him now.

—

Dave's dick is still twitching as Carcino places soft kisses on his back and neck. They're soothing and perfect, and Dave is overcome by a rush of warmth at the contrast. Holy shit. 

"I'm good dude," he answers, "I'm so fucking good. That was–"

What was that? That was so many things. Intense, probably the best sex of his life, and definitely something he wants to do again, many more times. And this was just the tip of the iceberg. There are countless doors opening in Dave's mind, now that he understands just how good he can feel. It might not be with _who_ he wanted, but he was definitely working on _what_ he wanted. 

"Incredible," he finishes in a fast exhale. 

Carcino has an arm wrapped around Dave to hold him up close to his own body, so close he can feel the fabric of his suit lightly scratching against his back. Dave is very grateful that he's being supported right now, both because his body wants nothing more than to collapse right now, and also because he really wants to prolong contact with Carcino as long as physically possible. 

"What about you, you good?" Dave asks. It definitely seemed like he'd been having a good time, but there was this tension in his voice that made Dave worry he might be uncomfortable. Or maybe he just wanted to go. What even is the protocol here, pants up, shake hands, and hope you don't meet out in the parking lot?

"Because if you wanna head out, that's totally chill too you know, no big deal," he quickly goes on, "No pressure, absolutely zero, pounce and bounce, you know how it is." 

He forces his mouth closed. The warm feeling from before has dissipated, leaving his insides squirming as he waits for whatever comes next. 

—

Karkat is filled with relief. _Incredible_. Dave thought it had been incredible. 

Maybe Dave is just saying it. Karkat can feel anxiety setting in, but then Dave… rambles. _Pounce and bounce_. Karkat finds himself chuckling softly. Dave actually sounds nervous, and Karkat can feel his body tensing below him. He squeezes the arm around Dave, kissing his neck once more. 

“Oh, I’m _very_ good,” he breathes near Dave’s ear. “You’re… perfect.” He admits with a longing sigh he can’t restrain, revealing a shameful glimpse of how much he wants Dave for more than just this night. With that he forces himself to pull away so he can begin to clean them both up. He definitely needs to do damage control on his pants. 

Does Dave really think he’s just going to leave him? How could Karkat leave him? Not now, when he knows that Dave is the one he’s wanted for months now. Dave should be concerned about Karkat taking him and not letting go. 

But Dave doesn’t know who Karkat is, and when he finds out he will definitely hate Karkat. 

He can keep playing this role, though. “I don’t think I’m going anywhere? Honestly… whether you like it or not, I’ll be taking care of you the rest of the night, and then checking in on you tomorrow, if you’re comfortable with that. I’m not some asshole that doesn’t do any aftercare, holy shit.”

Getting Dave’s info under the guise of aftercare. A smooth move. You’re supposed to check in with them the day after, right? Even though… even though he shouldn’t. Dave would be right to refuse him. If he has Dave’s info it will be torture not indulging in talking to him, as long as Dave doesn’t know who he is. 

He slides the condom off and tosses it into the trash, zipping his pants back up so he can focus on Dave. He grabs a few tissues off the table and brings them back to the bed. “Lie down over here, let me clean you off.” He pats the edge of the bed near where he’s standing, away from some of the mess on the middle of the bed where Dave had come. For a fleeting moment, he’s very glad he’s not in charge of cleaning this place up after. 

—

Dave's body warms again at the kisses and praise. _He's staying._ It's an elating feeling. Dave didn't know just how badly he wanted Carcino to stay until he heard his answer. And he was going to check in tomorrow, which meant they were going to exchange info. Hell yeah. Maybe even do this again sometime. 

"Oh yeah, for sure," he agrees. "I didn't mean it like that, just… giving you an out, you know?"

Dave crawls over to the edge of the bed on shaky arms, glad for the direction. Carcino thinks Dave was perfect, and he wants to keep being perfect for him, for as long as he'll have Dave. 

Okay, he should probably calm down. The guy offered a little aftercare, not his hand in holy matrimony. For now, being taken care of… yeah, it sounds nice.

—

Karkat pauses for a second, letting his eyes trail down Dave’s naked body. This is the first time he’s seen Dave full on since Karkat realized who he really was. It makes Karkat feel exposed despite being entirely clothed. Maybe it’s because he can feel his crush practically emanating from his body. 

Through the mask, can Dave even see how much Karkat is watching him with adoration, longing, desire? 

“I would never do that to you,” Karkat murmurs, still for a moment as he watches Dave reverently. 

He moves then, wiping off Dave’s stomach and hands where he came. It’s not necessarily sexy, but he doesn’t want Dave to move anymore than he has to. Besides, it gives him an excuse to watch Dave naked a little longer before he gets clothed again.

He can’t help himself. His body is practically humming with energy and nerves. After he’s mostly got Dave cleaned up Karkat leans down and kisses him, soft and open mouthed on his lips, before pulling away and turning to throw out the dirtied tissues. He wonders if Dave can tell he’s shaking. 

“Are you thirsty?” Karkat asks, surprised when his voice comes out gruff and throaty. He clears it somewhat nervously before continuing. “I can go get you some water, or anything you want, and bring it back. If you’d rather stay here for a bit, I mean. Or you can get dressed and we can go somewhere else.” He swallows. “Or I can help you with that. I mean, not that you can’t dress yourself, I just uh, want to take care of you andwhateverallthatmeans.” Holy shit this is pathetic, he averts his eyes because he doesn’t want to know how Dave is looking at him after that spill. 

—

The longer Dave lays there on the bed, the deeper self consciousness starts to set back into his body. He can't ignore the way that Carcino is looking at him. Staring even.

Dave points his chin down at his pale, angular body, his soft dick. What is there even to look at? Carcino's reverent attention, the praising things he says, Dave can't help but feel like they should be for someone else.

_Except that he literally said that he thinks you're incredible_ , he argues with himself. It only kind of sticks. 

Carcino drags tissues over his skin, and Dave can take his turn to stare. God, he's hot. The idea of staying in touch is insanely appealing. He really hopes that was a genuine offer, and not just something Carcino was saying, the way you promise to call someone after a shitty date. Dave suddenly feels nervous, as if the wrong twitch of his body will make Carcino suddenly rescind his offer. 

The kiss does a lot to calm him down, filling him with a fuzzy warmth and a tiny tug of arousal. Not enough to do anything about it, but enough for Dave to be in awe. His body has never responded like this to anyone before.

And then Carcino is rambling, and Dave can feel the nervous energy wafting off him. It's weird, how suddenly Carcino is back to being that tense, awkward person he was at the beginning of the night. Definitely a far ways from the possessive dominant he'd been just minutes ago, yet it makes Dave feel oddly at ease. He giggles, he can't help himself. His mind still hasn't completely reformed itself after being fucked into mush.

"Yeah, water sounds dope. And uh," Dave pauses. He'd actually forgotten where they were for a second, but when he thinks about it, he's not all that interested in heading back to the rest of the party, or seeing anyone else. "I can hang around for a bit. Besides," he says, patting his one of his legs, "Not sure these babies are back from their lunch break yet, if you know what I mean."

Help getting dressed? He literally has no idea if this is normal, but at the same time, Dave definitely wouldn't mind keeping Carcino's fingers on or near his body. He wasn't used to the feeling of having someone looking after him. Probably the last time someone voluntarily took care of Dave was when Bro was wiping his ass. 

"And B," he goes on, "Pants are gonna be hard, I think. So I probably could use your expertise in putting on clothes, since yours are so on that they didn't even make it off your body, like damn."

—

_And he’s funny too_ , Karkat thinks, feeling himself sink a little further. 

He’s done for. He really is. 

Anything Dave asked of him, he would do. 

He’s completely thrown off now. Before when they’d been in the scene together, it had been easy to fulfill that role. It had been even easier when he hadn’t known Dave was actually his Dave. Now he’s so goddamn nervous one wrong move will send his crush running for the hills. He’s even more nervous because he still sort of has no clue what he’s doing. 

He wonders if there might be blankets around that he could wrap Dave in, considering they are clean and haven’t been used by the other people here. He’ll have to track down one of the hosts and asks when he dips out to go get water. 

He glances through the doorway and is relieved to see no one standing there, watching or waiting to use the space. They’d have to throw the sheets off, anyways. He wonders if they ever had any spectators. That’s quite a thought. 

God, what does he even say? He’s not all that funny (or attractive), not like Dave is. 

But it seems he has _some_ sex appeal, so he can keep working that angle, at least. 

“Hey, if you were able to walk just yet then I didn’t do my job well enough,” he smirks. “Alright, sit tight. I’ll be back.” 

He kneels again at Dave’s side and kisses him once more, rubbing his thumb along Dave’s lower lip tenderly.

_I can’t get enough of you._

He gets an idea, maybe a dumb one, but hey it’s the time and place. He takes ahold of Dave’s chin and speaks, injecting some of that confident dominance from earlier and deepening his voice as he looks into his eyes. “While I’m gone, don’t speak to or look at anyone else,” he commands. 

Finally, he pulls away and slips out the door, only hurrying when he’s through the threshold. 

He needs to find a host. How did they even get this far into the mansion? Who even owns this place? 

Karkat feels a sense of relief when he stumbles back into the main room. There, at the corner of the room is a host stand. He hurries past the bar area, past the people who appear considerably less clothed than earlier, to the person with a gold mask waiting patiently to be of service. 

“Oh! Hello there,” they say, smiling. “Is everything alright?” 

Karkat gapes, struck with familiarity. 

Is that the coworker that invited him? And Dave? He’s got a million questions, and not enough time to ask them. 

“Do you guys have spare blankets? Clean ones, I mean.” 

They laugh. “Yeah, duh.” They pull open a door in the wall next to the stand and pull out a simple fuzzy blanket, handing it over. 

As Karkat reaches to take it the host pauses. “Make sure you bring one for your sub next time, Ka- uh, kind attendee,” they say, polishing off their statement with a wink. 

Karkat feels a hot flush from head to toe, wondering if he had been recognized, despite being promised otherwise. 

“Uh, yeah. Will do,” he nods, slightly taken aback. He quickly leaves that potential trainwreck conversation and passes by the bar to swipe two water bottles before getting back on his way to Dave. 

He steps back through the door and returns to Dave’s side. “Alright, here’s your water, and this is clean, if you’d rather hang out in this for now,” he says, presenting the blanket and water to Dave. _Please say yes_. 

—

Between the soft way Carcino kisses Dave and his order not to interact with anyone else, the message of ownership is crystal clear, and Dave is so here for it that he's in the running for a perfect attendance award. 

The command is absolutely not an issue to follow. Dave could not be less interested in moving, let alone seeking out socialization. He just lays in the same spot and waits kind of sleepily for him to get back, a soft manta of Carcino's declaration of _'mine'_ earlier floating warmly through his head. 

Thankfully it doesn't take too long. "Yeah," Dave agrees when Carcino offers him the blanket. "As long as you're cool chilling here with me." Honestly, Dave would love to get his hard core cuddle on, but he can't just outright ask for that, can he? 

Not sure what else to do, he awkwardly drapes it over his waist and sits up a bit to take the water. After only a few swigs Dave could swear that he already feels a bit perkier. Guess he really needed this. 

—

Karkat sits down on the bed next to him. Now that the perfect bubble that existed before popped, everything seems awkward. Or maybe that’s not the issue. It’s like he came and suddenly all that swagger went out the window. He doesn’t get it, he just had sex with this guy and now he’s wondering if he can even wrap his arm around him. 

Not just any guy, he remembers. _Dave Strider_. 

How did he stumble into this perfect cosmic alignment? He has Dave now and he wants so badly not to fuck it up.

Eyeing the movement of his neck, he watches Dave drink until he’s done. Karkat opens and closes his fists once, hands indecisive, and gazes away. 

What is this, some fucking high school summer romance bullshit? Get it together, Vantas. 

He stands suddenly, pulling Dave to his feet and supports him two steps away to the sofa chair in the corner of the room. He takes the blanket and wraps it around his shoulders. Recalling that Dave had mentioned shaky legs, he moves quickly. 

After that he sits and pulls Dave into his lap. “There,” he murmurs, curling a hand around Dave’s waist so that it can rest at his side, leaning Dave into his chest. “That’s better.” For him, at least. Whether this was what Dave wanted, he’s entirely unsure. 

—

Dave nuzzles into Carcino's chest. He kind of hates that the word nuzzle is even applying to him at all, but that's definitely what's happening here.

He would have never guessed this night would be so amazing. He hadn't been expecting much at all, and had somehow been rewarded with this insanely hot dude who had given him everything he wanted, and everything he didn't know he wanted.

It was almost easy to let thoughts of Karkat drift away in the euphoria of what had just happened. Dave also realizes with a pang in his chest, that he's not ready to let Carcino go. He loves the small glimpses of his personality that he's seen, he loves Carino's scratchy voice, his gorgeous smile, everything about him was pretty much perfect. And then there was the fact that they were just so compatible… this couldn't be the end. 

Dave knows he can't say any of that out loud though. What kind of desperate loser comes to a sex party and tries to leave with a boyfriend?

Dave wraps his arms around Carcino's waist and presses himself into the warmth he finds there. "Thank you sir," he mumbles sleepily. "A good fuck and a cuddle? This is like some batteries included type shit and I'm the lucky fucking parent who didn't have to run to Dollar General on Christmas morning."

—

Karkat laughs softly and tightens his arms around Dave. The way he says sir, so vulnerable in his arms, makes his heart flutter pathetically. His body is still humming in the closeness, ridiculously possessive. He doesn’t know how Dave can’t feel it through his clothes. 

He grins into Dave’s hair. “I feel like I should be thanking you,” Karkat says, inhaling his scent indulgently. Dave smells amazing, another reminder of the chemistry Karkat hopes Dave feels too. “Of all the assholes who came here to get their rocks off, I ran into you, and fuck if that wasn’t some of the best sex I’ve ever had.” There’s a small undercurrent of guilt that follows that statement, but Karkat ignores it as he tilts his head down and presses a kiss to Dave’s forehead. It’s maybe far too intimate, but it just feels so right. “You were fucking fantastic. Like eleven out of ten, would absolutely bang again.” He says it jokingly, but it’s only too late that he realizes what exactly it is he’s saying. Karkat reflexively tightens his arms around Dave, as if the man in his arms would withdraw at the indication that he wanted to see him again. 

—

Dave is so comfortable he thinks he could probably fall asleep like this—lulled by the secure feeling of Carcino's arms closed tightly around him and the sound of his heart beating. 

He flushes at the compliment and the kiss.This part of the night weirdly feels more intimate than anything they've done so far. But Dave is more than okay with it, and it seems like Carcino is on the same page. It's insane, but this is definitely the fastest and most intense connection Dave has ever made with someone. 

"Dude I know you’re kind of joking but same like, that was out of this world, like a UFO sighting wild, like the boy in the balloon but real, wild. And you were so good, you broke the entire scale,” he says, his words light and sleepy. “Anyway if you wanna do this again, hell, if you wanted to do this _tomorrow,_ I'd be so fucking down." 

_Shit,_ he thinks slowly. _That was probably too much._ His stomach clenches up uncomfortably, like he’s expecting a jab to the gut. 

—

Karkat chuckles, strangely relieved and amused. “Are you always this talkative or did I just fuck whatever filter out of you?” He softly jokes into Dave’s hair. His heart simultaneously leaps and drops at the indication that Dave does want to see him again… but if they were to see each other once more, there’s no way Karkat could hide who he was from Dave. 

How would Dave react if he found out ‘Carcino’ wasn’t the same dominant, confident person in real life, under the mask and nice clothes? Everything about this situation had played to Karkat’s strengths, but in the cold daylight he didn’t think Dave would feel the same. The magic would be gone, and he’d see Karkat for what he really was. 

Dave doesn’t know Karkat even exists. Or even worse, he doesn’t want anything to do with him. Why else have they never talked? Karkat knows there is no way Dave would be _happy_ to find out who Carcino really was. 

But Karkat is selfish. He’s not ready to let Dave go.

Maybe he can play this for a little while, putting off the reveal and Dave’s inevitable repulsion for a time. 

“Either way, I think I want to see more of it. If… if you’re okay with that.” 

—

There's a gentle tug in Dave's stomach at the memory of Carcino being inside him, and the realization that holy shit, they're probably going to do it again. That he _wants_ to do it again.

Dave realizes he's actually really excited at the idea of seeing Carcino's face, and learning what his real name is, so he can call it out in the throes of passion.

"Oh, hell yes. This is all me, you're looking at one hundred percent raw, unfiltered Stri—uh, Dave. So like, what now, do we exchange info? Or do you come here like, everytime this happens? Is there a loyalty card I can get stamped somewhere, like come to nine orgies and get the tenth one free?"

—

Karkat can’t help but smile, even if there’s a touch of bittersweetness to it. Here Dave is, completely genuine, and Karkat selfishly cannot return the favor. One of his hands mindlessly traces up and down Dave’s arm as he leans him into his body. 

“Honestly, I think the only reason I’d ever come back here is to see you. By the way, I don’t do this often, I’m not sure if I should be glad or really fucking offended you thought so, though,” he jokes. “But yeah, before we leave I’ll give you my contact info… don’t worry.” 

It’s not going to be his name or number, though. Karkat can’t give him that. Not yet. 

—

"Oh shit, yeah," Dave says, "I forgot we both totally said we were noobs when we first got in here. God damn, talk about beginner's luck."

He's so relaxed right now. There's just something about lying here and having Carcino pressing Dave close that's making his body fill with a wonderful warm fuzzy feeling. Even the conversation they're having right now is so soft and easy. Perfect.

"Sweet. Also, dude, definitely a compliment. I think you fucked me so hard that my brain leaked out of my ears." 

Distantly, Dave can't even believe the words that he's saying, he can't believe all the words he's said since the night began. There's some part of him that's definitely been unleashed here, and he doesn't think it's ever going to fit back inside him the same way again.

—

Karkat feels a small rush of pride. He loves that he could do that to Dave. They just both responded to each other so well, and Karkat was relieved and glad he felt so too. There is a tougher conversation looming in the near future, but for now he’s going to enjoy the feeling of Dave in his arms. 

It hasn’t been nearly long enough before the night is nearly over. They end up not moving the rest of the hour. Karkat just holds Dave close to him, talking softly. 

How come he was ever scared he couldn’t talk to Dave at work? Talking to him is so easy. He’s not sure if it’s that the wall between them had broken because he’d been in Dave’s ass only a little while ago, though he’s had worse conversation with other hookups so it can’t be that. 

He just genuinely gets along with Dave. Dave with his addictive smile who is funny and handsome and very excited at the prospect of Karkat shoving him on his knees and using his mouth. Karkat only knows he is down with it because while they talked Dave had needled it out of him, and Karkat had told him in a whisper, “Next time I want to push your head up against a wall and fuck your mouth.” It was quickly damn obvious Dave was into it. 

It’s too good to be true. Karkat never gets lucky like this. 

It’s extra reminder that when the mask inevitably comes off, Dave _won’t he happy to know it’s him_. 

Goddamn, is talking about your fantasies with someone always so intimate? Karkat can’t help but to keep planting kisses on Dave’s mouth when he smile or jokes or does something that makes Karkat’s chest squeeze with possessive joy. 

 

They’re finally dressed and readying to leave before the first wave of people are set to disperse. Karkat is holding his distance from Dave, trying to figure out how to go about telling him he won’t be giving him his phone number yet. He’d gotten more and more distant after Dave had left his lap to get dressed, knowing that this had been coming. How was Dave going to react? 

“Goddammit,” he finally says in a sigh. “Do you use that one chat app everyone likes to use?” 

—

It's kind of a shock, going from being so close and intimate with Carcino to basically approaching stranger status. Dave forces himself not to be too clingy, even though all he wants to do is cuddle against him for about twenty thousand more hours. 

"You mean Pesterchum? Yeah, I had to get it for work. Everyone apparently got tired of writing email greetings and salutations, so they staged a revolt until we adopted a chat client for intraoffice communications." 

Exchanging chumhandles still seems pretty anonymous. Like when girls give dudes their email addresses instead of their number. Is this Carcino's way of blowing Dave off? Has he been completely misreading this entire situation? The thought drops through his stomach like a stone. 

He has to play it cool though. They are only two minutes away from leaving and even if Carcino never wants to see Dave again, it would be great to at least keep a sliver of his dignity. Dave opens his mouth anyway, already feeling his face start to warm. Goddamnit. 

"I can give you my number too, if you want. That's for the real VIPs. The Ps who have true VI status. That's you, if you want it to be. Or not—we can roll with the chumhandles, keep it casual, like we just hooked up after some majorly alcohol fueled grinding on each other all night in a dark as fuck club that is definitely not up to code, and now you have to leave because you have work early in the morning. I get that."

Oh my god. _Stop._

—

Right. Of course Dave has pesterchum. Karkat has a business one, that Dave probably already has, and then a personal one. That’s the one he can give Dave. 

But then Dave offers his number, and Karkat can hear a sadness in his voice. His heart squeezes as Dave rambles, the meaning setting in. He is so clearly nervous. 

Karkat frowns. “Dave… I can’t,” he starts to say, and watches him visibly sag. No, no this is wrong. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. Karkat steps forward to Dave and reaches out, grabbing a hold of his side and pulling him close, so that they are chest to chest, face to face again. 

“It’s complicated, okay?” he starts, hand holding firm to keep Dave close to him, searching his eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want to keep talking to you because _I do_. I really really fucking do. I want to see you again… I can’t wait to see you again.” It’s all coming now, isn’t it? “But… You can’t know who I am. Not yet.” God, there’s no way he doesn’t sound like some skeevy asshole who’s cheating on his wife, because there is literally no other good explanation. It’s not like Karkat can tell him ‘ _We work together and I’m pretty sure you hate me._ ’ “I hope… you’ll understand. When I tell you one day… I think you’ll understand.” 

What if he told Dave then and there who he really was? What if Dave wasn’t immediately horrified? And if he was? Karkat is a terrible person for not telling him.

Karkat can’t risk it. He can’t risk losing all this that he’s started with Dave. 

Yeah, he’s a terrible person no matter what for this. He squeezes Dave’s side, not making a move to kiss him again like he really wants to, waiting to see what he’ll say. 

—

Wow, that was... cryptic? Like some Marvel secret identity shenanigans level cryptic. But he likes Carcino so much, Dave already knows he's just gonna roll with it. And when Carcino squeezes Dave close to him, he doesn't hesitate to needily lean into the comforting, warm feeling. He does feel reassured that Carcino really does want to see him again, which for now, is more than enough.

"Okay. You probably have a good reason for wanting to keep everything on the down low and I'm cool with it. As long as we can see eachother again." Dave leans forward and kisses his mysterious crush. He can't help it, they're so close and he pretty much never wants to be _not_ kissing him, so.

When he leans back from the kiss Dave can't help himself, he's smiling. God, he's like a grade schooler who just got their _do you like me, like me_ note back checked yes or something. In an attempt to hide his desperate loser status, Dave looks down to pull his phone out of his jacket pocket, opening up Pesterchum. 

"Do you wanna put your handle in my phone? I can message you and then you'll have mine too."

—

Karkat exhales strongly with relief. Dave isn’t turning him away for that. It’s not fair. He doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve Dave’s trust, and this is so fucked up. 

“Yes, yes, oh of course I want to see you again,” he says breathily, into Dave’s mouth. He really does. Goddamn, now that he’s tasted Dave he doesn’t want to stop. Dave who is delicious and funny and _his_... or was his. He needs to stop that, especially if he’s going to be able to maintain any appearance of chill around him at work this next week… Karkat’s stomach drops as he remembers that bit, again. 

He lets Dave go so he can pull out his phone, and takes it to put the personal handle in. 

_carcinoGeneticist_. At least Dave will know where his stupid name is from. 

“Message me whenever you want. Seriously,” he says, handing the phone back. Something pops into the back of his head. He’s forgetting something. “I need to check in on you tomorrow anyways, and if I don’t hear from you I’ll get concerned.” Okay turn it down a notch it’s not like Karkat is his… whatever it is he’s sounding like. Some of the answering words that pop into Karkat’s brain do weird things to his innards as he considers them. “--Because of course I want to make sure you’re still feeling okay tomorrow. You know. I mean like, hopefully nothing changes between then but like, uh, yeah.” 

Karkat doesn’t want this time to end, and his selfishness is shining through in how he rambles and demands more of Dave’s time. He really wants to kiss him again. And not stop. 

—

Oh yeah, he said he wants to check in. Because, like, aftercare and shit. A practically built in reason for them to talk again is more than Dave could have asked for. 

"Sweet," Dave says, looking down at his phone. Ah, so that's why he calls himself Carcino. Dave restrains himself from saying anything else, hoping that they can leave this building without embarrassing himself any further. 

"You can definitely check in tomorrow, like I'm a potted plant on your windowsill and you wanna make sure I'm facing the sun so I don't shrivel up and die."

God damn it.

—

They’re both being awkward as hell. Karkat knows it, but it makes him a bit relieved. He’d been dreading this part. He wonders briefly if he talked to Dave at work if he would be so… rambly. Like he would ever talk to Dave at work. Or that Dave would want to talk to him, what a joke. 

“I will. Just make sure you message me, so that I have yours too.” Thaaaat didn’t really need to be said. 

The event is definitely closing down, people filtering out to get away via whatever method they got there with, be it car, probably not smart from the anonymity angle, or Uber. Karkat glances at the door and sighs. 

“I think this is it.” He doesn’t want it to be.

Instead of any further words, he has one more thing to do. He reaches up slowly, hooks a hand around Dave’s neck and pulls him in for a kiss again, fingers brushing against the hair at the base of his head. He’s purposefully slow with it and he can tell himself he’s not trying to be intimate with it but he knows he is. He presses his mouth to Dave’s and is struck by how good he tastes.

A physical chemistry. It was pure compatible chemistry. Like Dave was made to appeal to him in every sense of the way, including pheromones. 

He’s way overstepping his bounds. Kissing like this after a hook-up, if that’s what this was, probably isn’t so regular. But he kisses Dave, a bit open-mouthed and with entirely uncalled-for possessiveness. His hand slides up to cradle Dave’s skull as Karkat presses his mouth to his. There’s so much unspoken on his end- the pathetic selfishness, the wish that Dave could see him as he really was, or wanting to know if Dave would even want that. This side of him wants to own Dave so badly. He wants to be _Sir_ to him with just more than these trysts. But he can’t.

Yeah. Work is going to suck this week.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heating up

Kissing Carcino is nothing like Dave has ever experienced. He's never felt so much passion from someone directed toward him before, so much care and trust… and all from this stranger he'd met less than five hours ago. 

No, Dave thinks, they're not strangers anymore. This thing, this connection they have… it just feels so right. It's unbelievable, but Dave knows he'll melt into into Carcino's touch, into his lips every time, almost like he's been programmed to. More than that, like he wants to. 

When they finally pull apart, Dave knows that it's finally time to go. He promises to text Carcino once again, before they turn and merge into the sea of dispersing sexual deviants. Dave gives him a little wave when they part ways at the exit, then he stands outside the door for a second, watching Carcino walk away in the dark and trying to supress the little pang of disappointment he feels in his chest. Because it's stupid. They would see each other again. He'd promised.

When he gets it together enough to pull out his phone to call an Uber, Dave sees that the Pesterchum app is still up on his phone, opened to a new chat with carcinoGeneticist. Dave smiles to himself before tapping out a message.

TG: sup

—

Karkat hurries away, zig-zagging through the upscale neighborhood, and only stops to take off the mask when he’s a comfortable distance away. He wonders when he’ll next have a chance to put it on. Will he have to bug his host co-worker about it? Their eyebrows will probably hit the moon if he asks, so he really can’t do that. But the next time means he would be seeing Dave again… 

As Carcino, though. Not as Karkat. Karkat gets to see Dave on Monday. When he takes off the mask he can’t really tell if that side of him, the Carcino side, goes away. He doesn’t feel a difference. It’s more symbolic than anything. Is that good, then? 

He’s at least able to track down his car. He’d made a point to park far away, and in retrospect probably shouldn’t have driven at all. He’ll hang out in this quiet cul de sac for a few, or at least until he’s sure Dave is on his way home. That is a confrontation he could not fathom having right now. 

He finally takes out his phone and smiles when he sees his Pesterchum app lit up.

CG: HEY  
CG: I WASN’T EXPECTING TO HEAR FROM YOU SO SOON.  
CG: NOT THAT I'M COMPLAINING. I’M ACTUALLY THE OPPOSITE OF COMPLAINING.  
CG: BUT I GUESS THAT BEGS THE QUESTION: EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?

Karkat debates adding something a bit more saucy but decides against it. The temptation sure is there, though. But for now he should probably just follow Dave’s lead- Dave didn’t give him his pesterchum to sext him or continue the dynamic they had, back in that bedroom. It was just to check in on him, right? 

—

Dave's heart jumps into his throat when he feels his phone buzz in his pocket. Without looking he knows it's Carcino texting him back, it has to be. He fidgets with the mask in his hands, suddenly nervous. What was the big deal? He'd literally just finished seeing the guy less than an hour ago. He keeps the phone in his pocket.

The cab makes a smooth turn onto his block then, and when they pull up to his apartment Dave thanks the driver and quickly exits the car. Dave stops at his kitchen counter and forces himself to turn on his phone. His heart is racing, but the fear quickly fades into relief as he reads the messages from Carcino, and he's back to wearing a huge ass grin. What was he so scared of?

TG: just wanted to make sure you had my digits  
TG: or my letters i guess  
TG: so i guess youre not tired of me yet 

Dave runs a hand through his hair, slumping against the counter. God, why is he like this?

TG: but yeah im good everything is peachy  
TG: sugar sweet like grandmas freshly homemade pie sitting pretty on the windowsill  
TG: all the pie thieves waiting in the bushes while the smell wafts over their heads in cartoon waves that they can follow  
TG: only for you to pull the pie in and slam the window on their fingers because thats just how these things have to go  
TG: but if im the pie then are you grandma

Dave makes himself put down the phone before he can send another message. He's thinking that just possibly, Carcino _doesn't_ want a nonstop stream of Strider brand bullshit delivered directly to his phone. That maybe he really just wanted to check in and that's all. There's no reason to think he wants anything more than that, Dave reminds himself with a sigh, heading toward the bathroom. He's just about due for a long hot shower.

—

Karkat is a bit anxious when Dave doesn’t immediately reply. After ten or so minutes of waiting for people to clear out he knows there isn’t a point in waiting so he might as well head home. Dave does reply by the time he parks, though, and he jumps when he sees the notification flash on his phone.

Karkat doesn’t know what to make of Dave’s rambling words at first. He’s endeared by it. It’s kind of nice to think that Dave can get so wordy, like he also does from time to time. It also reminds him of the way Dave talked in person. 

He shouldn’t have such a stupid smile on his face over thinking that. It’s embarrassing. He should reply to him, though. Eventually he’ll say something dumb enough to turn Dave away from all his sides entirely and save him from a certain guaranteed future pain. 

CG: OF COURSE I’M NOT TIRED OF YOU. I PROBABLY WON’T EVEN STOP THINKING ABOUT YOU.

_‘Not tired of you’ and ‘Won’t stop thinking about you’ don’t equate, nice job leaping to that level of pathetic._ Anyways, it’s kind of going to be impossible to not think about him because he sees him almost every day. But Dave doesn’t know that, and he should probably slow it down. Dave isn’t going to be seeing him in that setting for a while, and that’s the important part. 

CG: UNTIL THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, OF COURSE.

That’s even worse.

CG: ANYWAYS.  
CG: I’M AT LEAST GATHERING THAT YOU’RE DOING FINE. TAKE EXTRA CARE OF THAT, AND THERE’S NO COMPLETELY RESPECTFUL WAY FOR ME TO SAY THIS, NICE ASS. 

That was probably too much. Even if it’s true he can play it off as a joke? He still doesn’t even know how to gauge if he did too much or too little on Dave.

What he really wants to do is add a comment like, ‘I HOPE NEXT TIME IT HURTS FOR DAYS SO THAT YOU’RE CONSTANTLY REMINDED OF ME’ but that would be fifty shades of uncalled for. 

—

Dave takes his time washing off under the hot spray, and as he cleans his body he can't help but imagine the way Carcino's hands were on him earlier. He thinks about Karkat too, and wonders if he'll feel the same flutter in his stomach when he sees him on Monday. The same flutter he feels when he hears his phone buzz on the bathroom counter because it's gotta be a reply from Carcino. 

Oh man. Dave's face warms when he reads the grey capitalized words that fill his screen. God, he can't wait until they can see each other again. But Dave wants to play it cool, real cool. He waits until he's toweled off and fresh in bed to send his reply. 

TG: okay for the record im not tired of you either and i doubt i ever will be  
TG: like eternal sunshine of the horny mind  
TG: but instead of erasing my memories of you you ill spend approximately two hours of runtime reliving tonight over and over so i can really lock that bad boy into my long term memory  
TG: like the inevitable outline of a dick in wet cement  
TG: preserved forever  
TG: okay anyway  
TG: you have a nice ass too by the way  
TG: i hope i get to see a little more of it next time but until then i will do as you ask  
TG: goodnight

Dave types and erases his next message over and over for a solid minute before finally holding his breath and hitting send.

TG: sir

Even though sending it gave him a little thrill of nerves, he thinks it's probably not right to cross wires like that. But of course he was weak and ended up giving into the temptation anyway. Dave just had to snag one last hit before going to bed, in case he was about to wake up and find out this whole night had been one big fever dream or something.

—

CG: GOODNIGHT, DAVE.

Karkat overthinks sending more messages but then determines he’s lost the window for the night.

_i will do as you ask…. sir_

Dave is going to be the end of him, he’s sure of it. After Karkat is washed up for the night he just sits there looking at those words for far too long, smiling to himself. It just feels so good. 

Karkat feels a flare of excitement at the idea that Dave would actually want to continue with what they had done, that it wouldn’t just be something limited to when he saw him at the event. But it still was the night of, maybe the magic would fade away in the morning.

Dave is also funny and ridiculous and the idea that he doesn’t want to talk to the version of Karkat he knew at work, just regular Karkat, hits his chest. It doesn’t feel all that great. 

In the afterglow of the evening he allows himself to consider other reasons for why that is. Because… Carcino was still Karkat. Dave had seen him. Dave had kissed him. Dave had supposedly wanted him. Had Karkat done something to Dave at work he wasn’t aware of to put him off? Or was it himself? It didn’t entirely add up. 

But maybe he’d managed to play the part so well, he’d become someone so separated from Karkat, just setting up a cruel long con he was playing on Dave. 

Maybe if Dave did want a version of him, maybe Karkat could eventually talk to Dave at work and he wouldn’t be completely repulsed. 

_Maybe._

 

He wakes up Sunday and spends far too long waffling over if he should message Dave yet. Is it too early? It hadn’t been twenty-four hours yet. He also berates himself for being so juvenile about it all. It’s just that he doesn’t really know what he’s doing. All he wants is to do right by Dave and what they experienced together the night before. 

CG: GOOD MORNING. HOW ARE YOU FEELING?  
CG: HOPEFULLY STILL FINE.  
CG: ACTUALLY HOPEFULLY BETTER THAN FINE.  
CG: BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE ANYTHING LESS THAN EXCELLENT.  
CG: I KIND OF CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT LAST NIGHT. IT’S BEEN EXCEEDINGLY DISTRACTING FROM MY PLANS.  
CG: THAT SAID, MY PLANS WERE TO DO NOTHING SO IT’S BEEN PRETTY DAMN WELCOME. 

—

Dave wakes up late Sunday morning and rolls over, wincing at how sore his ass is for some reason, before the memories of the night before come rushing back and he’s smiling and swiping at his phone, suddenly wide awake and dying to see if he has any messages waiting from Carcino. 

Both the soreness of his body and the knowledge that Carcino is thinking about him in any capacity are making Dave start to feel far too warm for his blanket. 

TG: nothing sundays are the best kind dude  
TG: and im feeling alright though im not sure how much sitting im gonna be getting up to today if you catch my drift  
TG: it was worth it though  
TG: i wouldnt change anything about last night for all the plushy velvet ass pillows in the world 

It occurs to Dave with a chill that he'd never asked about Carcino. Fuck, is he really that much of an inconsiderate bastard?

TG: also it just occurred to me that aftercare goes both ways  
TG: even though i can kind of infer that youre pretty okay and happy with the way things went down last night  
TG: maybe we can get something down for the record  
TG: so how are you 

—

Karkat isn’t expecting Dave to flip and ask about himself. It makes affection rise up in his chest, tidal wave strong. He must look like an idiot with this small little smile on his face. _Dave is so caring_. He’s running away with his feelings, though. To Karkat, Dave is his crush. To Dave, Carcino is only a one night stand and Karkat is… something less. It makes him wonder what he would have done if Dave had told him he wasn’t doing well. Would he have met up with him, revealed who he was in the process? He would have done it if Dave had needed Carcino. Even if that meant Dave rejecting him. Karkat shivers. 

Of course he knew of dom drop. But today… it wasn’t like that. Or maybe? He was full of guilt over knowing who Dave was and Dave not knowing who he was, the selfishness of it all, but it wasn’t like he was depressed… The thoughts were beginning to vortex again. At the base of it he was so happy. He loved doing what he did to, with Dave yesterday. He wanted more so badly he was sick with it. What did that say about him? Yeah, maybe he was kind of messed up in general. Not that he would say anything about that, though. 

CG: IM FINE.  
CG: AMAZING, ACTUALLY.  
CG: HOW COULD I NOT BE AFTER A MINDBLOWING NIGHT LIKE THAT? GO AHEAD AND PUT THAT DOWN ON THE RECORD.  
CG: BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS 

What could he say that wouldn’t be so invasive? Would Dave want to tell him about his life? Would Dave actually want to know about his? 

Even more urgently, Karkat is thinking back to when Dave had messaged him ‘sir’ the night before. He can already feel his mind starting to play with possibilities, wondering how Dave would react if he gave him a command that very instant. It’s so tempting. 

IF YOU’RE DOING WELL ENOUGH TO SIT UP AT ALL MAYBE I DIDN’T DO MY JOB WELL ENOUGH. IS IT BAD THAT NEXT TIME I WANT TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO KEEP THINKING OF ME? 

He types that up and erases it, internally withering as he defaults to something much more mild.

CG: I’M GLAD YOU’RE DOING WELL.  
CG: I HOPE YOU GET TO TAKE IT EASY TODAY, TOO. YOU DESERVE IT. 

—

Dave smiles. Carcino said he was feeling amazing, and that genuinely makes Dave happy. And the comment about how mind blowing their night together had been, which, yeah it fucking was. 

TG: consider the record updated  
TG: signed sealed delivered

What Dave really wants to do, like _really_ wants to do, is just make another date already so they can do this again. But was it too soon? Well of course it was too soon, but also he kind of felt like he and Carcino would be on the same page about this. He bites his lip. Here goes nothing.

TG: take it easy got it okay ill definitely pencil that in my calendar for today  
TG: actually you know what would really grease the wheels on that initiative  
TG: ive been thinking and i dont think im overstepping when i say we both had a fucking awesome night last night  
TG: and sure we could go back and forth for another hundred texts throwing in casual references to what we did and being all coy and flirtatious and talking about a vaguely distant next time  
TG: or  
TG: we can make a solid plan right now do it again because like  
TG: i can literally still feel the imprint of your hand on my ass and all i want is to do it the fuck again  
TG: soon

Dave throws his phone across the bed. His heart is racing. Was that a mistake? Okay wait no, be logical. The worst thing that could happen is Carcino flat out saying no. Rejecting him. Dave would be disappointed and sad sure, but life would move on, just like it had before. Dave would go back to work tomorrow, pine dutifully over Karkat, then go home and masturbate until he fell asleep. See, no change.

Carcino was just a stranger, after all.

—

Reading those messages has the same effect on Karkat as lighting his veins on fire. He gets _warm_. 

Dave wants something more with him. He wasn’t just reading too into it. 

But yeah, Dave had called him out. He would have gone ahead with a bunch of messages, all of them dancing around the issue even if they both apparently wanted it. 

And that was the problem. 

The only way they would be able to do it again was at one of these elusive parties. Unless he was okay with Dave knowing who he was, which he wasn’t yet. 

His fingers hover over the keys before he stops and puts his phone down. 

Saying no to Dave again wasn’t an option. Karkat couldn’t, not again. He needed to think about this. Dave wanted to see him again. Dave, who he thinks hates Karkat. But… he obviously hadn’t been all that opposed to his body. 

As his mind spins, he comes to one conclusion- he needs to talk to Dave at work. He needs to know why they’ve never talked, and whether it’s because Dave can’t stand him or what he’s sure he’ll figure out soon. 

It would hurt, finding out that Dave hated Karkat… But looking at the messages Dave just sent him, Karkat couldn’t help but feel like it was better to know than not know. 

CG: I WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, DAVE.  
CG: I WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN SO BADLY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. 

He will see him again on Monday. The irony is sickening. 

CG: BUT RIGHT NOW IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE.  
CG: AND I THINK FOR NOW ITS BETTER OFF THAT WE DON’T KNOW EACH OTHER’S NAMES.  
CG: I DON’T WANT YOU THINKING YOU’RE MY DIRTY SECRET IM KEEPING FROM ANYONE.  
CG: BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT. IT’S JUST ME HERE AND I WANT YOU SO BADLY. I ONLY WANT YOU.  
CG: WHATEVER IT WAS THAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT, I WANT MORE OF IT. 

He can’t help it. He needs to say it. 

CG: AND I KNOW THAT’S PROBABLY CROSSING A LOT OF BOUNDARIES TO SAY BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT.  
CG: IN THE MEANTIME, UNTIL I’M READY TO TAKE THAT STEP  
CG: WOULD YOU BE OKAY WITH MAYBE  
CG: DOING THIS OVER MESSAGES? 

—

Dave puts down his phone after reading Carcino's messages, disappointed and embarrassed. So there's his answer. Carcino doesn't want to meet up right now. He doesn't want them to know each other's names. Ironically he does know Dave's real name, which only makes Dave feel even more like a huge, hopeless idiot.

And like yeah, Carcino did say he wants to see Dave again... But what if he was lying?

His mind rejects the thought. The Carcino that had taken care of Dave last night wouldn't do that. Right?

He's not sure.

Dave doesn't answer for a long time. He reads and rereads the messages over breakfast, until he finally switches his phone off. Even after that Dave still thinks about Carcino throughout the afternoon and into the early evening, until he decides to go to bed just to get away from the thoughts. Except it's barely nine and he can't sleep. Lying in bed, he can almost see those unanswered grey texts glaring up at him in the dark, even though his phone's screen is black. 

_Until I'm ready to take that step._ Sure they could be empty words, but if Carcino didn't mean them, if he truly didn't want to see Dave again why would he even bother texting or making empty promises? 

And then what was with all the Lois Lane secret identity bullshit? Dave couldn't think of any reason why he wouldn't want Carcino to know who he actually was. Maybe he was like, a minor celebrity or something, somebody Dave would recognize.

As soon as Dave makes up his mind his heart is racing. He rolls over in bed and turns on his phone. There are new messages waiting from Carcino. He doesn't even read them at first, typing his own messages before he loses his nerve. 

TG: okay so  
TG: first of all sorry for taking all day to answer  
TG: you were probably thinking what the hell is this guys deal  
TG: well here it is ripped straight out of the sunday circulars by my ninety year old nana who fucking lives for a good coupon  
TG: i cant lie and say im not a little disappointed that were not going to be meeting up again right away  
TG: but i was thinking about it and its not like you actually owe me anything and i might have been taking it a little too personally instead of thinking about it from a more logical perspective  
TG: or like taking into account everything we did together because i cant really see a reason you would be lying or trying to jerk me around right  
TG: so i say fuck it yeah lets go at it text style

—

When Dave doesn’t immediately answer, Karkat gets worried. Then Dave doesn’t reply for an hour, and Karkat starts to panic.

He looks back over at what he said multiple times. 

There’s no way that Dave doesn’t hate him after that. All he wanted was to see Karkat, er, Carcino again, and he’d shot him down for no goddamn good reason. If Dave wanted nothing to do with him anymore then Karkat deserved it. He’d didn’t deserve Dave from the moment he found out who Dave was and didn’t stop this entire situation. 

Of course Dave hadn’t replied, what did Karkat expect? Dave deserved better. Of course Dave wouldn’t want some half-rate relationship over messages because Karkat was too much a coward. Dave wanted something real, and Karkat was too ashamed of who he was to offer that.

He also starts to worry that something happened to Dave. What if Dave dropped because of what Karkat said? What if he’d been fine before and then Karkat ruined it all? 

If that’s the case… he’ll make sure he’s okay and then leave him alone. He’ll never message him again.

CG: DAVE? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?  
CG: LISTEN I KNOW WHAT I SAID MAKES ME A GIANT ASSHOLE WHO CAN RIGHT FUCK OFF BUT PLEASE JUST LET ME KNOW IF YOU’RE OKAY.  
CG: JUST TELL ME THAT AND I PROMISE I’LL LEAVE YOU ALONE FOREVER. YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS.

He manages to distract himself during the day- working out, mostly. He can’t stop checking his phone like a desperate fool. He almost considers digging up Dave’s phone number through work but then decides that would be an even bigger mess. 

Finally, he gets the messages when he’s about to get in bed for the night. He almost collapses with relief, it breathes through him in a way he didn’t know he needed. 

CG: YEAH WELL I WAS JUST A LITTLE BIT WORRIED ABOUT YOU AS YOU CAN SEE. MY POINT STILL STANDS THOUGH, I’M A HUGE ASS FOR ASKING THIS OF YOU. AND YOU CAN SAY NO.  
CG: I’M GLAD YOU’RE OKAY THOUGH.  
CG: PLEASE TRUST ME WHEN I SAY I’M NOT LYING. I DO WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN. THERE’S SO MANY THINGS I WANT TO DO WITH YOU.  
CG: … AND TO YOU.  
CG: BUT THANK YOU FOR BEING OKAY WITH THIS FOR NOW.  
CG: GOD I DON’T DESERVE YOU. 

—

Wow, it was obvious Carcino had been really worried about Dave. It made him feel guilty for just ignoring his phone all day. There was also a small, ashamed part of Dave that felt good that Carcino had been so concerned about him. 

TG: fuck im sorry about leaving you out to dry i really am  
TG: it was kinda selfish of me to just go awol when this is actually literally our only way to communicate  
TG: you couldnt even call 911 on me if i was being strangled to death like right now  
TG: actually do people even still do that  
TG: strangling  
TG: were mostly into guns right now i think unless someone's really going for a throwback  
TG: like throwback throttle thursdays  
TG: anyway  
TG: youre not an ass at all  
TG: you got an ass though  
TG: thus ergo hence so on and so forth  
TG: yeah im still down to do the virtual do

—

CG: NOT ONE NEARLY AS NICE AS YOURS BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN A CHILDISH ROUND OF “NO, YOU” TO CONTINUE DANCING AROUND THE SUBJECT I HAVE TO ASK  
CG: YOU’RE SURE?

He sighs in relief and stares down at his phone screen. Were they really doing to do this? Was he really going to start sexting Dave?

It’s exciting just thinking about it- commanding Dave from afar, knowing that he’s taking time to do something because Karkat asked him to. Would he send him photos? Videos? Would he make Dave beg for Karkat so send a photo of his own dick? Would Karkat tease him by telling him he wanted to shove it down his throat next time he saw him? 

His mind was rushing with possibility. 

Unavoidably, also guilt. 

CG: BECAUSE ONCE I START DOING THIS WITH YOU I DON’T THINK I’M GOING TO WANT TO STOP. 

—

TG: oh please let me have just one  
TG: no you  
TG: okay yes im sure  
TG: im so ready 

He's never actually sexted with anyone before, but all Dave knows is that getting sexy commands from Carcino over text sounds hot. Having the extra challenge to keep himself in line with Carcino when he's so far away sends an excited shiver up his spine. He pulls the covers down off his body a little bit, his heart beating just a little bit faster as he waits for a reply. 

TG: so how do we do this  
TG: not that we have to do anything now sorry wow i really jumped the gun there  
TG: that was uncool  
TG: we can totally chill  
TG: not rushing at all but whenever you wanna go for it ill be down 

—

CG: JUST A WARNING, ANYTHING I HAVE IN MIND FOR YOU ISN’T ‘CHILL’ AT ALL.

It’s definitely nearing the time he should be sleeping, and definitely for Dave too, but it’s just so tempting… Well, he did actually just say he would be down for it. 

CG: WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW? HOME? 

—

Oh my god, is this about to happen? Just the implication that Carcino has been thinking about this enough to already have things in mind warms Dave's face. He grins dumbly at his phone.

TG: yeah im home  
TG: in bed all snuggled up and ready for storytime  
TG: where are you

—

Karkat runs a hand through his hair, still a bit wet from the shower he took to distract himself from when he hadn’t heard from Dave. 

CG: ABOUT THE SAME, EXCEPT THIS VERSION OF STORYTIME IS CALLED ‘FUCK YOU TO SLEEP’ NOT ‘GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP’.

Maybe one day he’ll _actually_ get to fuck Dave to sleep, take him until he collapses into the bed and Karkat curls around him. 

Wait, why is he just thinking it? Why doesn’t he just tell him. 

CG: ONE DAY I’M GOING TO DO THAT, BY THE WAY. I’M GONNA FUCK YOU UNTIL YOU CAN’T EVEN GET OUT OF BED. 

His dick is reacting as he expresses just another one of the many fantasies about Dave, but that one is neither here nor there. 

He was going to do this. 

CG: BUT FOR NOW, IF YOU’RE WEARING ANYTHING I WANT YOU TO TAKE IT OFF.  
CG: WHEN YOU’RE DONE TEXT ME.  
CG: I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT TO SAY THEN.


End file.
